The Official Magazine of IAAPA
When superstar Taylor Swift sported a vintage Monterey Bay Aquarium sea otter T-shirt in the release party movie for her new album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” the attraction didn’t just make a cameo in her wardrobe—it made a tidal wave in fundraising.
“The reaction on social media was immediate. Fans spotted the shirt and started tagging and DMing us, asking for the shirt right away,” says Liz MacDonald, director of content strategy at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, California. “We’ve heard that in local movie theaters, audiences cheered when they saw it.”
The shirt inspired nostalgic memories of visiting the aquarium when they were children, while some even remember owning the same T-shirt.
“It quickly became clear this wasn’t just a pop culture moment. It was an opportunity to elevate our Sea Otter Program to a global audience and engage new supporters in our conservation work in a big and fun way,” Liz MacDonald shares with Funworld.
Leaping Into Action
The Monterey Bay Aquarium swiftly (pun intended) turned those thoughts into action. “It was an all-hands-on-deck effort,” MacDonald says. Thanks to some impressive sleuthing by Swifties and the aquarium team, the attraction moved fast.
“We felt that re-issuing the shirts as a limited-time fundraiser made the most sense,” MacDonald explains. The aquarium’s team traced the T-shirt’s original artwork to Harborside Graphics, which first printed the T-shirt in the 1990s. Today, the company is part of Maine-based Liberty Graphics—located more than 3,400 miles across the U.S. from Monterey Bay. The Aquarium worked directly with Liberty to reproduce the T-shirt sustainably. Liberty Graphics uses PVC-free, water-based ink that places less strain on oceans and 100% cotton that doesn’t shed microplastics in the wash.
Power in Numbers
The aquarium’s strategic partnership team also reached out to representatives of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce after hearing the couple discuss Kelce’s love of sea otters on his “New Heights” podcast.
“We haven’t heard back yet, but they are kind of busy with their jobs!” MacDonald says.
The aquarium’s social media content played on Swifties’ enthusiasm for finding possible Easter egg references.
After going viral, the aquarium received a wave of $13 donations, reportedly Swift’s favorite number. In keeping with the 13 theme, the facility set out to raise $1.3 million—a goal that was surpassed in less than two days.
“We’ve paused it at $2.3 million,” MacDonald says. The nonprofit organization plans to use the funds to support its Sea Otter Program and ocean conservation work.
Leveraging Valuable Fanbases
The Monterey Bay Aquarium hopes to stay connected with the Swiftie community by creating pathways for them to learn more about the aquarium’s mission. “We have so much gratitude for the folks who participated in this campaign,” MacDonald says. “We have some social media plans to highlight audience members with their shirts when they get them, and we’ll continue telling stories about our sea otter work—just as we have for the past 40 years.”
Attractions can harness the power of communities and fandoms to great effect, MacDonald believes. “If there’s a moment connected to a strong fanbase and aligned with your mission, engage directly with that community.”
