What drives social media at the Monterey Bay Aquarium? There are plenty of things—like our animals, exhibits, events, and conservation efforts.
But more than anything else, it’s the power of Aww.
What’s Aww? It’s nothing less than the universal currency of social media. You know: kids under sedation after a dentist visit. Talking dogs. And yes, like it or not, cat videos. All of them, unmistakably, elicit the amazing power of Aww.
At the Monterey Bay Aquarium, we’re blessed with an abundance of Aww:
- A sea otter waving hello? Aww.
- A baby sea turtle getting a health check? Aww.
- An octopus giving an Aquarist a hug? Aww.
- A bird getting a scratch under the chin? Awww. (Note the three w’s: extra-strength Awww.)
Usually, Aww is just those three simple-but-powerful letters. On Twitter, it’s the hashtag: #Aww. Sometimes, we see the superlative form: Awww. Or, in extreme cases, we’ll garner the ultimate social media accolade: Awwwww.
What nonprofit wouldn’t avail itself of the emotional power at its disposal, whether it’s great art or cute animals? Aww is our palette, our repertoire. We pull the Aww lever almost every day, without shame.
The fact is, Aww is pretty awesome.
What is Aww?
Your organization may differ, but based on our metrics (comments, shares, Likes), these four categories peg the Aww meter every time:
- Cute animals: Some of what people consider “cute” may surprise you. This includes sea otters, sea turtles, cephalopods (octopuses and cuttlefish), and the ocean sunfish.
- Baby animals: Our audience is nearly powerless to resist young turtles, birds and cephalopods, to name just a few.
- Animal interactions with staff: The Aquarium is responsible for sea otter rescue throughout California, and many other conservation efforts. This is a win for the Aquarium—and our environment. We also have some irresistible interactions between our great staff and exhibit animals. Unquestionable Aww material.
- Animal care: Our veterinary staff is frequently called upon to care for sick and injured animals, liked this beached olive ridley sea turtle.
- Kids and families: People love stories and images about how we’re inspiring ocean advocates at a young age. Seriously Aww.
There is Artistry in Aww
Is Aww the end of journalism as we know it? Hardly. Producing Aww-inspiring content is not as easy as posting a cute photo. “The distinction between Web ephemera like baby videos and traditional journalism has all but disappeared,” said a recent article about BuzzFeed founder Ben Smith in the “New York Times.”
More important, words—and hard work—still matter. “’Thirty-three Animals Who Are Disappointed in You’ is a work of literature,” Smith says, referring to hugely popular post, adding that the author “spent like 15 hours finding images of animals that would express the particular palette of human emotion he was going for and wrote really witty captions for them. And that in some ways is harder and more competitive than, say, political reporting.”
As a print journalist, I couldn’t agree more. Who knew that 10 words and a photo could be so impactful? The Aquarium’s social media presence would be nothing without great photos. But the photos would go nowhere without artfully crafted captions. It’s like writing a daily haiku.
Aww is not Awful
Great things are carried along on the power of Aww. In the case of the nonprofit Monterey Bay Aquarium, this means ticket sales, donations, and memberships. It also means enlisting people in our mission, which is to inspire conservation of the oceans. It’s all largely impelled by the power of Aww.
Is it wrong to pursue Aww so unashamedly? I doubt many people would accuse us of outright exploitation of Aww. What works for us is analogous to what’s worked for 25 years on the floor of the Monterey Bay Aquarium itself—the creative use of iconic animals and exhibits as a means to captivate our audience—and to enable us to communicate our critical conservation message.
Aww does not preclude earnestness, or social good. In our case, it augments it. It is, quite simply, the fuel that grows our followers, our influence—and social good.
Aww creates the opening—the willingness to accept the message. You could say that Aww makes it all possible.