Denver Zoo Lights

Problem
Zoo Lights had long been seen as just another holiday light display, competing with countless seasonal attractions across Denver. The challenge was to reposition it as something deeper: an experience worth building family traditions around, not just a one-time outing.

Insight
Families don’t just want entertainment during the holidays, they look for rituals that connect generations and create lasting memories. If Zoo Lights could be framed as a tradition, something kids look forward to and grandparents pass down, it could become more than an event. It could become part of people’s holiday identity.

Solution
I worked with the Zoo’s internal marketing team and concepted and wrote scripts that reimagined Zoo Lights as a living storybook of family traditions. By highlighting the grandparents’ perspective and weaving in the magic of each Zoo Lights zone, the campaign positioned the event as both whimsical and meaningful. The creative combined live-action family moments with storybook-inspired visuals to show Zoo Lights as a tradition that lights up hearts as much as it lights up the night.