Marshawn Pinch Recap

With the Fish Bowl XLVIII victory behind him, Marshawn Pinch has happily scuttled into the post season, where’s he’s enjoying some much deserved relaxation and tank time. And, after all the excitement, we thought we’d give you a peek behind the bubble curtain and share the inside story of how Marshawn Pinch came to be:

Aquarium biologists came up with the original idea for Pinch, noting the similarity between the reticence of Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch to talk with the press and a hermit crab’s propensity to withdraw into its shell. Biologist Kathryn Kegel provided a miniature Seahawks helmet from a vending machine, attached it to a hermit crab’s shell—and a media star was born.

Cartoonist Jim Toomey, creator of the marine-themed strip Sherman’s Lagoon and keynote speaker at our inaugural SeaChange fundraising event last year, provided an illustration of Pinch in “Beach Mode” and the Aquarium began actively promoting the campaign. In the week before the NFC playoff game, visitors eagerly sought out Pinch in his exhibit near Life on the Edge, Aquarium divers showed their Seahawks spirit by

wearing jerseys and tossing footballs in Window on Washington Waters, and our sea otters happily devoured Seahawks-themed ice toys.

Promotion intensified in the days prior to the Super Bowl, and the Aquarium’s efforts were rewarded with increasing amounts of media attention. To date, the campaign has been featured on national and local television, radio, print and online outlets. It has generated approximately 11,000 visits to our blog, 12,000 shares, 18,000 visits to our website, 2,000 Facebook followers and 1,000 Twitter followers. All told, the campaign has reached 5.2 million people—so far.

What’s next for Marshawn Pinch? Only time will tell. For now, you can still see him on exhibit at the Seattle Aquarium or visit him virtually via our Pinch cam. He’s also sure to be a major player for the Searocks next season…check our blog, and follow him on Facebook and Twitter for updates! Interested in learning more about hermit crabs? Check out the Seattle Aquarium’s hermit crab fact sheet!

*No hermit crabs were harmed in the creation of this promotion.

Overall campaign stats (campaign ran January 13–February 10, 2014): Markets touched: Seattle, New York, L.A., Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Washington, D.C., Tampa, Cleveland, Toronto, Wichita Falls, Birmingham and others.

Conservative earned media value: $240,000

Combined circulation: 183,000,000

Social media—Facebook and Twitter: Facebook followers: 1,873 Twitter followers: 1,109 Live updates on Facebook and Twitter generated 11.6K interactions by 6.4K unique users, creating 5.2M impressions. Seattle Aquarium blog: 11 blog posts generated over 12K visits to the Seattle Aquarium blog, which resulted in over 11.8K blog shares.

Blog posts: Seattle Aquarium's Marshawn Pinch makes a major splash! (Posted February 14, 2014) Seattle Aquarium's Marshawn Pinch and the Searocks win Fish Bowl XLVIII! (Posted February 3, 2014) Seattle Aquarium's Marshawn Pinch: next stop, Fish Bowl XLVIII! (Posted February 1, 2014)

Seattle Aquarium's Marshawn Pinch comes out of his shell at Fish Bowl media day (Posted January 28, 2014) Seattle Aquarium's Marshawn Pinch tries plankton from faraway sea fans (Posted January 26, 2014) Seattle Aquarium's Marshawn Pinch heads to Hawaii in his own backyard (Posted January 24, 2014) Seattle Aquarium's Marshawn Pinch charts course to the Fish Bowl (Posted January 23, 2014) Seattle Aquarium's Marshawn Pinch featured on Evening Magazine (Posted January 21, 2014) Marshawn Pinch of the Seattle Aquarium: on his way to Fish Bowl XLVIII! (Posted January 19, 2014) Seattle Aquarium's Marshawn Pinch: ready to claw the 40Briners (Posted January 17, 2014) Meet Marshawn Pinch, 12th crustacean at the Seattle Aquarium (Posted January 15, 2014) Seattle Aquarium website: Marshawn Pinch webcam generated over 18K views on the Seattle Aquarium website.

Campaign highlights: Evening Magazine

The Stranger’s Sunday Comic

Ian from Metalshop on KISW 99.9 radio—Marshawn Pinch tattoo

Fan drawings

#12thcrustaceans at Seahawks Fan rallies

Visit with the Sea Gals

Marshawn Pinch photo-ops on Twitter

Marshawn Pinch at Super Bowl XLVIII