DEPT transforms Brookfield Zoo Chicago’s digital platform

The transformation addresses operational challenges at the zoo, where animal activities can change at short notice due to weather, veterinary needs or animal behaviour.

DEPT has partnered with Brookfield Zoo Chicago to rebuild its digital platform, giving marketing teams greater flexibility to manage visitor information, update daily activities and improve content discovery. The project uses Contentful to replace the zoo’s legacy content management system with a composable architecture designed to support changing schedules and a mobile-first visitor experience.

The previous system made even minor schedule changes time-consuming, requiring manual workarounds and duplicated updates across static pages.

DEPT and Contentful support flexible zoo website management

Brookfield Zoo Chicago’s previous website was built around rigid page templates that limited the marketing team’s ability to respond quickly to operational changes. More than 80 percent of zoo visitors use their phones to buy tickets or navigate the grounds, while growing numbers of events, conservation programmes and animal habitats made the site’s navigation increasingly complex.

DEPT recommended Contentful to support a structured content model that separates content from code. The approach allows the team to manage reusable modules for events, animal profiles, habitats and sponsorships from a central source, without requiring developers to implement every routine update.

Real-time updates improve the visitor experience

The redesigned mobile-first website includes an interactive daily activity calendar that updates in real time. Past activities disappear automatically, while staff can cancel an individual event without removing its recurring schedule. This allows visitors to access more relevant information about activities available during their visit.

The content architecture also simplifies sponsorship management. When Brookfield Zoo Chicago secured a corporate sponsor for its bald eagle habitat, the marketing team could apply an existing sponsorship module to the relevant habitat template without submitting a development request.

Structured content strengthens search visibility

The platform also addresses content discovery through structured metadata and dedicated landing pages for animal habitats and conservation initiatives. Previously, visitors often had to navigate several layers of menus to find specific exhibit information. The updated structure helps users and search engines reach relevant pages more directly.

For Brookfield Zoo Chicago, the changes connect operational flexibility with digital marketing performance, making it easier to keep visitor information current while supporting the discovery of exhibits and conservation programmes.

DEPT highlights composable architecture for marketing teams

The project illustrates how composable content architecture can help marketing teams respond to changing customer needs without relying on developers for routine tasks. Rather than treating a website as a static directory, the approach positions the digital platform as an extension of the visitor experience before, during and after a zoo visit.

DEPT also points to its work with Brookfield Zoo Chicago as an example of its partnership with Contentful, following recognition in the platform provider’s 2026 Partner of the Year Awards. The full webinar recording explores the project through insights, before-and-after website demonstrations and a question-and-answer session.

www.brookfieldzoo.org

www.dept.global