The San Diego Zoo is one of our town’s real heritage brands. They have invested many years and millions of dollars to create a recognizable brand that is known all over the world. A few years back the Zoo’s board decided that it was time to do an agency review and perhaps freshen up the advertising. They selected an out of town firm which didn’t go down too well with local firms that offer plenty of talent. Ouch.That firm kicked off their first campaign with this ad  which was a complete departure from its 20 year investment. Some people liked it, some didn’t.  Now they have launched a new campaign and I am concerned. This campaign has absolutely nothing to do with the first campaign and once again nothing to do with the brand’s heritage. So what I see is that they are creating new campaigns because they are funny or clever and they are not really building any kind of brand positioning.  The Zoo should be building its brand for the long haul, in a recognizable way.  I agree that advertising needs to stay fresh. But random campaigns that don’t build the brand do only one thing – they build the portfolio of the agency. The Zoo deserves better.