Heads Up: 325 is not enough
Often when we have a clear (and what we think is a fairly compelling) message to share we simply state the message and neglect to explore creative ways in which to say it.
If we consider both the message and the vehicle used to say it, we can create more thoughtful (and probably successful) concepts.
The Brief: World-renowned charity WWF (in their Japan branch) were looking to highlight the declining populations of endangered species. A simple and clear message that they are known for highlighting.
The Campaign: The concept that they created, “Population by Pixel”, were graphics composed of as many pixels as there are animals still alive in these species. The fewer pixels, the fewer animals left.
The message: These endangered animals are disappearing
What the vehicle is showing: The images of the animals are disappearing out of existence
It’s intentionally tautological as they are saying the same thing twice.
Contrary to just stating their simple message, this ad makes you stop and think. Similar to the last edition, we are being forced to complete the puzzle which in turn, engages us further. We want to see the animal behind the blurred pixels but the more blurred the image, the closer they are to extinction, pixel by pixel.
The pictures are accompanied by simple text “[number] is not enough” which is a strong and compelling message (tick), but it is their vehicle concept that elevates this message further. They essentially a tautology, they are saying the same thing twice.
The team behind this campaign won notable awards which undoubtedly raised the profile of the campaign and solidified a simple message in the marketing history books.
Why does it stand out?
➡ ️The message and the vehicle demonstrate the same concept
➡ ️It’s still the same simple brand message - reinvigorated
➡ ️It isn’t too difficult to recognise the animals but the blurriness draws you in
➡ ️It’s memorable and makes you think further
We need to consider not only what we are saying but the vehicle we are using to deliver that message. When we consider both, the impact is greater than either can have on their own. It’s multiplicative.
Heads Up Challenge: Think message + vehicle
(Copy the below into a working document that you can use for the challenge each week)
You are making an image ad for your own simple message.
Write down three ways in which you could package that message in a smart vehicle.
The Brief:
Idea 1:
Idea 2:
Idea 3:
Set aside a weekly 15 minute slot to complete these weekly creative tasks and why not schedule a call with others on your team to talk through your thoughts on this topic and share ideas for you to try out?
Heads Up is a weekly creative digest that encourages animal advocates to take inspiration from case studies of creative campaign tactics outside of our movement.
> ~ 5 minutes read-time (but hopefully gets you thinking for longer than that)
> Demonstrates interesting tactics and use of biases that you can test
> Contains a creative challenge for you to explore independently or with your team with results that you can apply for your important campaigning work
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