New Bedford Whaling Museum Turns One-Star Insult Into Viral Merchandise Success

Some of the merchandise that the New Bedford Whaling Museum has available. Photos courtesy NBWM.

The New Bedford Whaling Museum has transformed an unintentionally funny one-star review into a viral merchandise campaign that is attracting national attention and hundreds of new orders. 

In 2020, a Google reviewer visited the New Bedford museum and delivered a blunt verdict: “Worst aquarium ever.” 

There was just one problem with the criticism; the New Bedford Whaling Museum is not an aquarium. 

Instead of becoming defensive or allowing the review to disappear into the depths of the internet, museum staff embraced the misunderstanding and turned it into an inside joke. The phrase eventually inspired a merchandise collection featuring T-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies and tote bags. 

The design places a minimalist illustration of one of the museum’s whale skeletons on the front, while the back displays a one-star rating and the now-famous words, “Worst aquarium ever.” 

“We do not have live whales here, and so we are actually the worst aquarium ever,” Chief Engagement Officer Annelise Conway joked during an interview with NBC 10. 

The review reportedly became a piece of museum folklore after it was posted. Staff members had discussed putting the phrase on a shirt for several years before finally testing the idea. 

Visitor Experience Manager Emily Roznoy created the design after seeing another business use a negative review on its merchandise. The New Bedford version was introduced last fall and soon became one of the museum store’s most popular designs. 

The joke received another wave of attention after the museum advertised a restock on Instagram. An earlier TikTok video featuring the merchandise had already collected more than 96,000 views, but television coverage pushed the campaign to an entirely new level. 

On July 22, CBS Evening News featured the museum’s response to the review in a segment describing how it had turned a bad Google review into “marketing gold.” 

The national exposure produced an immediate sales surge. According to reporting by The New Bedford Light, customers placed 738 online orders between the Wednesday-night CBS broadcast and 2:30 p.m. the following afternoon. Weekly orders increased by approximately 250 percent compared with the previous week. 

The sudden demand prompted the museum to dramatically increase its merchandise order. Staff requested hundreds of additional adult and youth T-shirts, crewneck sweatshirts, hoodies and tote bags, with coffee mugs also being considered. 

The adult T-shirt is priced at $32.50, while crewnecks are listed at $50 and hoodies at $60. The museum’s online store has warned customers about high order volumes and additional fulfillment time, with some products placed on backorder. 

The campaign has succeeded because the museum was willing to laugh at itself while reminding audiences what visitors can actually find inside. 

The New Bedford Whaling Museum explores maritime history, art, science, culture, commercial whaling and the relationship between people and whales. Its collections include the skeletons of a 66-foot blue whale, a 37-foot humpback whale, a 49-foot North Atlantic right whale and a 48-foot sperm whale. 

Although the museum did not contain an aquarium when the original review was posted, it has since added a 250-gallon saltwater tank featuring local South Coast marine species. The exhibit, developed in partnership with the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth’s School for Marine Science and Technology, includes animals such as blue crabs, sea stars, and northern pufferfish. 

There are, however, still no live whales—which means the museum can proudly continue claiming its title as the “Worst Aquarium Ever.” 

What began as a one-star complaint has become a lesson in creative marketing, demonstrating how humor, authenticity and a willingness to participate in the joke can turn online criticism into community connection—and, in this case, a best-selling collection. 

You can shop for merchandise at the museum here. 

Written by Zavia Walker