Animated Wolves Bring the Family Together for Great Wolf Lodge Campaign

Great Wolf Lodge launched a new creative brand platform, ‘Strengthen the Pack,’ to help drive awareness for the North American family entertainment brand and establish its indoor water park resorts as the go-to destination for family bonding and memory-making getaways. Great Wolf Lodge operates 19 resorts across the US and Canada. 

With consumer demand for travel and quality family time peaking in the waning days of the pandemic, ‘Strengthen the Pack’ highlights the important role Great Wolf Lodge plays in fostering family relationships through activities and experiences that help strengthen their pack. A quick, easy getaway to Great Wolf Lodge empowers families to escape the stresses and distractions of their day-to-day lives, enjoy an unforgettable shared experience, and truly reconnect with one another.

Created by San Francisco-based independent advertising agency Erich and Kallman, the 360 integrated campaign includes three national TV spots, print, streaming radio, digital media, and social media. In the TV spots, a larger-than-life pack of CGI-animated great wolves bring families together and transport them to Great Wolf Lodge for a pack-strengthening escape. Print posters, produced in the style of the action movie genre, depict families in the role of the hero enjoying activities at the lodge. 

“In many regards, the pandemic led many families to put a renewed emphasis on staying connected and strengthening their family bonds,” shared Brooke Patterson, senior vice president of brand experiences, Great Wolf Lodge. “As families now look for getaways that allow them to strengthen those bonds outside the home, we feel Great Wolf Lodge is perfectly positioned to fulfil that desire, and our new ‘Strengthen the Pack’ campaign encapsulates our resort’s ability to help families maintain and grow these important relationships.” 

Great Wolf Lodge appointed Erich and Kallman as its creative agency of record in 2021. 

“Great Wolf Lodge is all about bringing families closer together. Whether you visited as a kid or have taken your family there as an adult, there’s something uniquely special about the memories made at the lodge. (And the water slides remain unrivalled.) We wanted to tap into that emotion and literally transport the audience there, and what better way than with a pack of great wolves as our guide. Great Wolf Lodge is a dream client for our agency, and we are proud to be its partner,” said Eric Kallman, co-founder and chief creative officer, Erich and Kallman.

The campaign’s media planning and buying was handled by Horizon Next, a unit of Horizon Media. A full-funnel multi-media plan, including video, content and social, was designed to drive brand awareness of Great Wolf Lodge. Digital custom content and social channels including Facebook, Pinterest and TikTok will provide a glimpse of all that Great Wolf Lodge has to offer families. 

Great Wolf Lodge has helped families strengthen their family bonds for more than two decades, with its world-class indoor water park resorts that feature an array of family-focused attractions, entertainment and dining options. Great Wolf Lodge turns a quick escape for families into cherished bonding opportunities designed to further ‘Strengthen the Pack.’ For more information about Great Wolf Resorts and its brand of indoor water park resorts, visit www.greatwolf.com.