ark encounter
amusement & recreation | brand awareness campaigns
The Brief:
JDA Worldwide partnered with Ark Encounter — a life-size Noah's Ark and one of the most ambitious faith-based attractions in the world — to build year-round paid media campaigns. I served as the dedicated writer for over two years.
The Initiative:
Rather than waiting for a brief, my CD and I proactively built a comprehensive 2025 campaign ecosystem — two full creative themes with concepts, marketing applications for Q1 through Q4, and all accompanying ad copy.
The Result:
When the campaign launched in September 2025, Ark Encounter maintained strong ticket revenue during a period that typically sees a seasonal dip.
Theme One: High-Impact & Disruptive
Cinematic imagery meets wit — juxtaposing biblical scale with modern, playful language to spark curiosity and invite a new generation of visitors.
Creative launched Summer 2025
Featured Copy:
"Ancient Blueprint. Modern Thrills."
"Actually Built to Last."
"Straight Outta Genesis."
"It's Pretty Biblical."
"No Life Jacket Required."
"Step inside history's greatest rescue mission. It's massive. It's immersive. It's waiting for you along I-75, south of Cinci."
CD: Jonathan Vessely // Designer: Mitchell Acton
2025 Campaign ecosystem snapshot + ad creative below
Disruptive campaign digital ads (Meta and Google display)
Theme Two: Seasonality & Travel
Strategic recommendation in development
Beyond the campaign itself, we identified a deeper challenge: The Ark Encounter risked being perceived as a "one and done" destination — visited once, not revisited.
To address this, our team recommended the following strategic initiatives to the client:
Seasonal exhibits — rotating content designed to give returning visitors a compelling reason to come back, bringing the Ark closer to the repeat-visitation model of major theme parks
Overnight stay packages — encouraging visitors to extend their trip and explore surrounding attractions
On-site guest rooms inside the Ark itself — an immersive hospitality concept that would allow visitors to spend the night aboard the life-size vessel, creating a one-of-a-kind experience unavailable anywhere else in the world
A romanticized, travel-forward campaign ecosystem was designed to showcase the Ark as a year-round destination — grand in scale, compelling in every season — with executions across landing pages, ads, and seasonal emails.
Featured Copy:
"The Summer Cruise of a Lifetime."
"Let Your Legendary Summer Memories Begin."
All recommendations were pitched to the client team and are awaiting approval.
Campaign Ecosystem Snapshot below
Christmas 2024: ChristmasTime at the Ark
The Idea:
My CD and I reframed the Ark's annual Christmas experience as a fantastical winter wonderland — blending the sanctity of the season with the scale and spectacle of the attraction.
The Execution:
The hero visual — an animated Ark rising above softly falling snow, framed by pine trees and holly — brought the concept to life in a classically festive style new to the brand, set to soft, upbeat holiday music.
Featured Copy:
"A Truly Biblical Wonderland."
"Celebrate the miracle of Christmas with an evening of holiday activities for all ages — all free with the price of parking."
CTA: Unwrap the Spirit of Christmas
Our team created ads distributed across Meta, YouTube, Fox, and Google display — see below.
CD: Jonathan Vessely // Designer: Mitchell Acton
Out-of-Home | Reds Stadium Digital Takeover
With a mere 39 miles between the Ark and The Great American Ball Park, there was prime opportunity to reach hundreds of thousands of Major League Baseball fans.
To catch this unconventional-yet-captive audience, the JDA creative team created a 15-minute stadium-wide digital takeover promoting the Ark. The ads ran during one inning of every Cincinnati Reds home game throughout the 2025 season. Each promo features illuminating facts and trivia about Noah’s Ark and the Bible to inspire baseball fans to discover the attraction for themselves.
I wrote all messaging and collaborated with my CD and motion designer on visual concepts.
CD: Jonathan Vessely // Motion Designer: Mitchell Acton
