The objective of the campaign was to attract new members for both the Zoo of Antwerp and Planckendael Animal Park, as well as retaining the existing members. This was to be done by integrating the annual theme of both zoos: '2011, the year of the monkey'. The main issue was that people tend to see the zoo as a 1-time event, with no reason to return regularly in a short period of time, and thus without much reasons to buy a membership.To overcome that issue, we realised that we had to reinforce the presence of the zoos within their local communities, the cities of Antwerp and Mechelen, by creating an emotional bond between them, lasting beyond the physical borders of the zoos.With this in mind, a competition was organised between the 'Mechelen Bonobos' and the 'Antwerp Chimps' to ultimately determine the smartest monkey in the world.

Inspired by a popular Belgian quiz show, 'The Smartest Person in the World', the contest put the “Mechelen Bonobos” and the 'Antwerp Chimps' in a fierce competition, via linked up webcams, which involved specially devised games spread over a number of weeks.The entire competition was presented by a famous journalist, games were endorsed each time by a different celebrity, and even the cities’ mayors joined as the mascots. Videos were then uploaded on a dedicated website, and, through social media, fans could follow, encourage and cheer their team towards victory. The story was followed, on a weekly basis, by local newspapers, as well as a national TV show for kids. Another talk show even asked celebrities to actually try the games on stage, leading to quite intriguing results.In a similar fashion than a sport competition, the battle of the apes became a battle of 2 cities.

Across newspapers and TV, the story was picked up exactly where we wanted: the communities of Antwerp and Mechelen. Gate takings went up by 32% on game days and the campaign was a huge success on membership renewal and as an image enhancement.The competition has transformed visitors into fans, by shifting their experience from a passive one-time visit into an interactive team-supporting event.

Local newspapers and National TV shows closely followed the games, organizing dedicated weekly updates to review and comment on the performances of their favorite team.Nevertheless, the story of the Mechelen Bonobos and Antwerp Chimps was not only reported by the Belgian media: the competition was also picked up by numerous international newspapers, such as CBS News, the Washington post, China News and the New Zealand Herald, to name a few.