The encyclopedia · Marketing & Brand · Marketing decision · 2025
SeaWorld Abu Dhabi proved its educational value with children's before-and-after drawings
Children drew the sea, visited SeaWorld Abu Dhabi, then drew again — the transformed drawings proved the park's value and pulled 79 million views.
SeaWorld Yas Island Abu Dhabi
The solution
Children are the biggest influence on whether a family books an attraction visit, yet SeaWorld Abu Dhabi's pitch rested on an invisible outcome: that a visit teaches children about the ocean. Asked to draw the sea, most children produced waves, boats and the horizon — nothing of the ecosystems beneath.
Instead of a campaign claiming 'kids will learn', Momentum MENA turned the gap itself into the proof. In a social experiment, children aged 7 to 12 drew the sea from memory, toured SeaWorld Abu Dhabi's eight immersive realms, and then drew the sea again. The second drawings were richer, fuller of dolphins, sharks, corals and sea turtles — visible evidence that the visit had changed how they see the ocean.
The journey of five featured children was filmed and premiered at an art exhibition launch inside the park, then shared across social platforms, where it amassed over 79 million views with 100% positive sentiment. Partners included Aldar Education (hundreds of students took part), educational psychologist Dr. Rama Kanj, and Louvre Abu Dhabi, whose marine-life artworks extended the learning.
The campaign converted the park's core promise into content people wanted to share. It earned 50 media clippings reaching over 50 million people, about $450,000 in advertising value, and a 20% year-on-year rise in website visits during the September–October campaign period — and it took Gold at the 2025 MENA Effie Awards.
Why it worked
- Before-and-after drawings are undeniable evidence, so the campaign proved rather than promised learning.
- The experiment was the content: children's transformed art was emotional, shareable and free to distribute.
- Partners like Aldar Education and Louvre Abu Dhabi added scale and educational credibility.
- The launch inside the park and the 360° screen premiere turned the proof into a destination event.
What can be applied
When your value is an outcome people cannot see, turn it into before-and-after evidence: the customer's own transformed work is more convincing than any claim, and it doubles as the campaign content.
Aftermath
The campaign video drew over 79 million views with 100% positive sentiment, produced 50 media clippings with a reach above 50 million and roughly $450,000 in advertising value, and lifted SeaWorld Abu Dhabi's website visits 20% year-on-year during September–October 2025. The work won Best Education Campaign and Best Strategic Communications at the PRCA MENAT Awards, Gold at the International Business Stevie Awards and SABRE Awards, and a Gold at the 2025 MENA Effie Awards, becoming the reference case for proving an attraction's educational value.
Sources
- SeaWorld Yas Island, Abu Dhabi – Draw Me the Sea
- Yas Island and Saadiyat Island Garner Over 195 Awards and Recognitions in 2025
- Draw Me The Sea
- MENA Effie Awards winners 2025
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