The "Blackfish Effect" Part 7: Specific Goal

The final element of the Blackfish Effect is the ability to determine the effects of a movement (or film, speech, demonstration, etc) upon the intended issue. In the case of Blackfish and SeaWorld, it was very easy to measure the overwhelming negativity flowing towards the park. Stock value plummeted, attendance dropped, and revenue teetered. And although the documentary by itself cannot be credited as “the cause” of the change in society’s view toward captivated Orcas, the film was certainly the catalyst for the success of the movement. If it weren’t for such objective data, however, it would be very difficult to determine the documentary actual impact on SeaWorld’s later decision to begin plans to shut down the Killer Whale portion of its entertainment. By suggesting a specific goal (change in the treatment of Orcas in SeaWorld), Blackfish made it very easy to see whether or not the animal rights movement was succeeding in its desire to shut down the gross abuse of Killer Whales. Biggest take? Missions must have clearly communicated objectives; otherwise the movement becomes disjointed and incohesive. Blackfish provides a beautiful example of clear and highly effective communication, as we can see by its impact upon the study of social movements and the widespread recognition of the Blackfish Effect.

The "Blackfish Effect" Part 6: Emotional Appeal

Undoubtedly one of the most powerful drivers of human action and change is an effective pathos argument. You and I are emotional creatures, and when presented with a deeply moving story of suffering and pain, we are immediately inclined to do something to fix the problem. The Huff Post article quotes psycologist Paul Slovic: “When it comes to eliciting compassion, the identified individual victim, with a face and a name, has no peer...But the face need not even be human to motivate powerful intervention.” And so Blackfish presents us with the tragic story of one particular Orca, Tilikum. As the documentary unveils the sometimes unbelievably heartbreaking tale of gross mistreatment, the audience is struck with empathy and anger at the deepest part of their being. Instead of merely quotes facts and statistics about poor treatment in the hands of SeaWorld, Blackfish walks us through the shocking reality of pain that is the life of so many Orca Whales. The passions that stir within us upon watching the documentary are natural and good, and judging by the tremendous outcry raised against the theme park after the film aired, the appeal was successful. Our takeaway? Emotions are powerful; if you want an injustice to be remedied, the most efficient way to spur change is often to begin with a direct message to people's’ emotions.

The "Blackfish Effect" Part 5: Call to Action

Another important feature of Blackfish that became fundamental to the Blackfish Effect was the compelling urge for change that the film pushed. Although it can be extraordinarily difficult for a 90 minute documentary to both accurately relate the details of a problem and present a clear solution and call to action, Blackfish did a masterful job of accomplishing both objectives. As Huffington Post’s Caty Chattoos writes, “the audience understood SeaWorld’s role, and the film’s story about orcas in captivity issued a clarion call.” Not only did the video sound the alarm about the numerous, insidious problems with SeaWorld, but it also managed to convince thousands and thousands of people to take positive action. Even though the documentary did not outline a detailed “plan of attack” to follow, the producers did an excellent job clearly communicating the issue in such a way as to encourage the audience members to stop what they were doing and jump into the fray. Takeaway? Blackfish’s effective call to specific, and relatively easy, action proved transformative; because of the public outcry and subsequent action, SeaWorld was forced to enact policies that treated Orcas with much better care.

The "Blackfish Effect" Part 4: Extensive Media Attention

The third component of the Blackfish Effect is the maximization of the news and social media. As the old saying goes, “any publicity is good publicity,” and this was evident around the release of the revealing documentary. Even before it was presented to the public, SeaWorld was denouncing the film as inaccurate and misleading. The theme park launched a ferocious PR campaign in a desperate attempt to mitigate the immediate downpour of criticism that commenced post-film. And as the attitude-war raged, more and more news articles poured into the public sphere, continually expanding awareness of the issue. Because of such in-depth reporting, people who had previously held no interest in the matter became interested and then infuriated by SeaWorld’s actions. Our take: a successful activist movement greatly benefits from  exhaustive and in-depth media coverage; and the more controversy created, the more powerful position the activists possess.

The "Blackfish Effect" Part 3: Instant Mass Dissemination

     One of the most important decisions made by the Blackfish team was that to license the film to CNN. In her Huffington Post article, Caty Chattoo states that “a premiere on CNN was not only a mass-viewer distribution strategy, but one that fired up a synergistic publicity and news media machine.” This is because CNN was able to do far, far more than just present Blackfish to a mass audience. Immediately surrounding the documentary’s release, CNN conducted multiple interviews and produced several news articles regarding all sides of the issue. The results of such massive communication greatly benefited the animal right’s campaign to reform SeaWorld’s treatment of Killer Whales as more and more people read about the gross injustices committed in the name of entertainment. Even when the media relayed SeaWorld’s defense of its practices, the simple absurdity of the matter just became more and more apparent. Without the tremendous reach afforded by harnessing the news machine of CNN, the Blackfish Effect would have failed to reach the audience population required for such a widespread--and successful--call to action. The takeaway? Cutting a deal with a major news and entertainment provider like CNN provides an ideal medium for the comprehensive communication of a stirring call to action.

The "Blackfish Effect" Part 2: Active Support Base

     The preliminary, foundational component of the Blackfish Effect stems from the existence of an active base of support for the cause and issue. Several animal rights organizations have raised awareness of SeaWorld’s unethical practices in the past, and so when the release of Blackfish was announced, groups like the Oceanic Preservation Society and PETA jumped to its support. Not only did these nonprofits issue statements of public praise, but they also actively campaigned for the film and initiated their own sub-movements among their supporters. Not only did organizations like these bolster Blackfish’s publicity, but they also advanced the movement by using the film as a catalyst for the continuous campaign to convince SeaWorld to remedy its wrongful ways. In addition to support from animal rights activists, Blackfish also garnered widespread acclaim among celebrities. And in modern America, the vocal approval of multiple celebrities is a key component to successful outreach. Our takeaway? In order to achieve utmost success, any sort of social movement seeking specific change should first make sure that an eager base of supporters stands ready to embrace and then expand the desired message.

The "Blackfish Effect" Part 1: Intro

    The 2013 documentary Blackfish was revolutionary in its nature. By combining a powerful emotional appeal with comprehensive investigative research, the producers of the film presented a compelling argument against SeaWorld’s policies regarding its captivated Orca Whales. Following the widespread public outrage directed against the theme park, resulting in the popularity of what many analysts have called the “Blackfish Effect.” This effect is important to understand not only in order to appreciate this particular issue, but also for future reference. In order to understand it, we must first explore the nature of this phenomenon. Caty Chattoo, writing for the Huffington Post, provides an insightful analysis for the Blackfish Effect by examining six elements of the successful production and movement.