Blackfish Backlash

[Alf33]

So.  Anyway.  I was talking about my next trip to Florida at work last week, and the Air Force major who sits next to me told me that he hopes I don't plan to go to SeaWorld.  I asked him if he really believes all of that Blackfish nonsense, and apparently he does.  

As a retired member of the armed forces I can safely say that the phrase "military intelligence" is quite often a contradiction in terms.

 

[Mushroom]

I'd like to point out that Seaworld's response to the Blackfish backlash has changed slightly on social media. I've been following the Orlando park's Instagram page and noticed they've recently begun deleting the hateful comments from their posts and blocking problematic users from their page. Until recently, they used to let the "#endslaveworld" and "seaworld SUCKS!"-esque comments pile up under their posts and let all hell break loose. Now to the unsuspecting viewer it's like nothing ever went wrong.

Just thought I'd point this change in public relations out.

 

[wombat96]

You mean SeaWorld is blocking the anti-SeaWorld haters who block you after they claim that SeaWorld "Slaughters wild whales and captive whales! Watch BlackFish!" Ah, do those people bug me. We should make a documentary for them proving the haters that Blackfish is full of lies. How does the name FactFish sound.

 

[Jonathan S]

I'd like to point out that Seaworld's response to the Blackfish backlash has changed slightly on social media. I've been following the Orlando park's Instagram page and noticed they've recently begun deleting the hateful comments from their posts and blocking problematic users from their page. Until recently, they used to let the "#endslaveworld" and "seaworld SUCKS!"-esque comments pile up under their posts and let all hell break loose. Now to the unsuspecting viewer it's like nothing ever went wrong.

Just thought I'd point this change in public relations out.

Those posts make me question the actual credibility of the supporters of Blackfish. To me, they're making themselves look like idiots, because they're obviously a minority.

But I'm glad SeaWorld is taking a stand and hopefully they sue the bastards who keep screwing with them.

 

[Party Rocker]

Not sure if this is the right place for this, but I've heard the local PETA chapter flooded BGW's servers in order to cause some of if not all the issues during their online sales such as the 12 Days of Christmas Town ticket sales.

Anyone know of any truth behind this?

 

[Jonquil]

^ That would constitute a DDOS (distributed denial-of-service) attack which, according to the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, may be a federal crime. If your allegation is true, then the local PETA chapter would have a lot of explaining to do if they advocated such an attack.

 

[Jonathan S]

Not sure if this is the right place for this, but I've heard the local PETA chapter flooded BGW's servers in order to cause some of if not all the issues during their online sales such as the 12 Days of Christmas Town ticket sales.

Anyone know of any truth behind this?

Judging by their immaturity and repulsive nature, that wouldn't surprise me.

Did they for certain mess the servers up? I have no clue.

 

[Username]

This probably could have its own topic but I just heard about this lawsuit today- Two firms to lead class action over Seaworlds stock drop following Blackfish film

SAN DIEGO (Legal Newsline) – Two law firms have been named co-lead counsel in a class action lawsuit against SeaWorld over an attendance drop following the release of the documentary “Blackfish.”

Stockholders filed lawsuits in 2014 against the company that alleged the company failed to disclose adverse facts about its business, ultimately resulting in a $9 stock drop when those facts were finally released.


Edward J. Schwartz U.S. Courthouse in San Diego
Edward J. Schwartz U.S. Courthouse in San Diego

The law firms named lead counsel by U.S. District Judge Michael Anello are Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check of Radnor, Pa., and San Francisco and Nix, Patterson & Roach of Austin and Texarkana, Texas.

Also in Anello’s Dec. 10 order, he named Kirby Noonan Lance & Hoge of San Diego as liaison counsel.

On Jan. 19, 2013, Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s documentary, “Blackfish,” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, and on Jan. 22, 2013, CNN Films and Magnolia Pictures acquired the rights to Blackfish.

“Blackfish follows the 39 year tumultuous history of Tilikum, a SeaWorld Orca Whale, who has been involved in the death or serious injury of several SeaWorld trainers,” a complaint filed by Lou Baker in September states. “Blackfish is comprised of interviews of former SeaWorld trainers, SeaWorld spectators and other experts such as Occupational Safety and Health Administration employees and scientists.”

Baker claims the film revealed for the first time that SeaWorld had improperly cared for and mistreated its Orca population causing mental distress to the company’s Orca population affecting trainer and audience safety; continued to feature an Orca that had killed and injured numerous trainers; and consequently exposed the company to material and uncertainties that could adversely impact attendance at its family oriented parks.

On July 19, 2013, “Blackfish” was released in theaters in New York, Los Angeles and Toronto. On Aug. 13, 2013, the company filed a press release on Form 8-K reporting the financial results for the first half of 2013 reporting a nine percent drop in attendance.

“SEAS falsely claimed that the drop in attendance was a product of the timing of Easter, when in reality, the bad publicity from the Blackfish film caused families to stay away from SEAS parks,” the complaint states.

CNN aired “Blackfish” on its network on Oct. 24, 2013. Nearly 21 million people watched “Blackfish” on CNN during that broadcast – an unusually large audience for CNN programming, according to the suit. “Blackfish” was released on DVD in the United States on Nov. 12, 2013.

Baker claims the dissemination of “Blackfish” sparked a nationwide debate about whales in captivity and the ethics of SeaWorld.

On March 13, the company “filed a press release on Form 8-K reporting the financial results for the fourth quarter and full year of 2013,” the complaint states. “To explain a 4.1% decline in attendance in 2013…Atchison falsely stated that ‘contributing to the decline in full year attendance was unexpected adverse weather conditions in the company’s second quarter and July as well as the impact of an early Easter in 2013.’”

Baker claims, in reality, the decline in attendance was the result of the mounting backlash from the “Blackfish” film.

Two pension funds were appointed as lead plaintiffs after claiming they suffered approximately $4.3 million in losses.

One of the funds is the Arkansas Public Employees Retirement System, and the other is Pensionskassen For Børne-­ Og Ungdomspædagoger

 

[mtpelepele]

Good. This lets SeaWorld present the facts in a court of law. If this lawsuit is idiotic enough to declare that Blackfish is factual, this could end up being a good thing for the company.

 

[Party Rocker]

The park’s company as a whole has been under attack by Peta and other animal rights groups for a little while now. SeaWorld has face much criticism head on; however, some of that is spilling into other parks. Recently, there is a new public relations campaign that the company will be starting within the next few weeks. Busch Gardens should play a big part in it as well. The key is to show people how well the animals are being treated.

 

[Nicole]

In that case they should stop canceling all of their Keeper tours at BGT.

 

[Jrbgwfan06]

And maybe not kick out all their animals at BGW.

 

[Party Rocker]

I want to say something should start to be seen within six weeks I think.

 

[Alf33]

Seen this article on the CBS News site (Link) that states Seaworld just released a new ad campaign on Monday (3/23) that is designed to combat the negative and false info put out by Blackfish. I haven't gone over to the Company site yet to view the new ad yet. Hope they hit them back hard and the GP isn't dumb enough (I know that's asking a lot) to not believe the new ad and still believe the false BF crap.

 

[UncleDuncan]

Seen this article on the CBS News site (Link) that states Seaworld just released a new ad campaign on Monday (3/23) that is designed to combat the negative and false info put out by Blackfish.  I haven't gone over to the Company site yet to view the new ad yet.  Hope they hit them back hard and the GP isn't dumb enough (I know that's asking a lot) to not believe the new ad and still believe the false BF crap.

lol

1. Way to get in front of that, SeaWorld... Only 2 years after the fact.
2. Blackfish is not going away. Even if it's biased (as some say on here), it's a very effective movie.
3. Why is the GP dumb? If anyone is lacking intelligence, it's the genius brigade running this company. Their inactivity makes it look like either: A. they were hiding something; or B. they're just woefully ignorant. Take your pick - it doesn't bode well.

 

[Mushroom]

lol

1. Way to get in front of that, SeaWorld... Only 2 years after the fact.
2. Blackfish is not going away. Even if it's biased (as some say on here), it's a very effective movie.
3. Why is the GP dumb? If anyone is lacking intelligence, it's the genius brigade running this company. Their inactivity makes it look like either: A. they were hiding something; or B. they're just woefully ignorant. Take your pick - it doesn't bode well.

1. They've released tons of ads and campaigns to combat Blackfish. This is just a new one, apparently.

I'm confused by your the remaining two points. #2 seems to state that Blackfish isn't going away, so they shouldn't waste their money combating the film... while #3 seems to criticize them for not combating Blackfish.

That seems contradictory.

 

[UncleDuncan]

1. They've released tons of ads and campaigns to combat Blackfish. This is just a new one, apparently.

I must say, I'm confused by your the remaining two points. Unless I'm misunderstanding, #2 seems to state that Blackfish isn't going anywhere, so they shouldn't waste their money combating the film... while #3 seems to criticize them for not combating Blackfish.

That seems contradictory.

They were asked to be interviewed in the film. Their lack of participation started there. Their ads were perfunctory, at best. If I conducted myself at my job the same way they have at theirs, I'd be fired.

I point out Blackfish isn't going anywhere to spare anyone the misconception that it's not doing the damage it has. Even if you don't agree with the film, it's done very well. And, it's been hanging around their neck for years now. I can see your point about contradicting myself so let me clarify, it's only contradictory if you remove the element of time. I think saying SEAS is going to "hit back" now implies that they're going to somehow redact Blackfish from the zeitgeist, or supply some sort of timely rebuttal. Sorry. It's all too little to late. SeaWorld is screwed, and they did it to themselves. I don't think there's a solution.

By the way, I don't buy into the Blackfish-hype. I think the truth is somewhere in the middle (as usual with these types of heart-string campaigns). I also think SeaWorld does more good than harm in many respects. But from a casual observer standpoint, they've done nothing but screw themselves over and over and over when it comes to handling this PR nightmare. They chose to be reactionary and underestimated their audience. And for that, they get what they deserve.

 

[Party Rocker]

I do not think their lack of participation started there. Would you respond to be interviewed if you knew your words would/could be twisted?

They started damage control within a few months or weeks of the movie being released. What they did before wasn't working. They toned down their marketing. Now they are starting a new option.

This new campaign is about people asking questions and they answer them. Similar to McDonald's recent campaign.

 

[UncleDuncan]

I do not think their lack of participation started there. Would you respond to be interviewed if you knew your words would/could be twisted?

Uh, Yes. You get up off your lazy, executive-pampered ass and tell your side of the story. Before, during, and after. Control the message. By doing so, you'll save face with those who are loyal - you might even win some people over before they lay eyes on the opening credits of the movie. And second, you now have a leg to stand on in the court of public opinion when shit starts to shake out in the aftermath.

Or you could ignore it and allow people to draw their own conclusions after only hearing one side. Hint: you'll either look evil, or stupid... Or both. Probably both.

They started damage control within a few months or weeks of the movie being released. What they did before wasn't working. They toned down their marketing. Now they are starting a new option.

This new campaign is about people asking questions and they answer them. Similar to McDonald's recent campaign.

Ha. It's not working? You don't say?! Newsflash for would be park owners: in case your brand identity is attacked, you may not want to let said attack sit and fester, all the while half-assing your response (e.g., here's a webpage - see? we care <3 ). And then when it actually cuts too deep, roll out all your good ideas years too late. Also, it might be wise to accept the criticism where it may be valid, be it in the past or in the present.

Here's a question: does anyone think this is actually going to work? I think they'll open a Vatican in Vegas before SeaWorld wins back a fraction of their total loss. And I think it's pathetic people blame the GP or PETA or whomever else. This is SeaWorld's fault. 100%.

 

[Zimmy]

They should have been preparing for neg press the minute they had an issue. If your animal kills a handler you might think about how that could spin. It does not take a brain surgeon to see that in a world of PETA and of non-stop protests that something like the movie would occur. Frankly it is hardly a first time event. Consider the bad press Smithfield got over swine flu. (all BS incidentally)

This is something they should have been planning for, it is inexcusable that they were not.