The creative team at Ogilvy in Cape Town was tasked with dispelling the common misconception that WWF, the global conservation organisation, only works with animals. The result is a picture of a little plastic sign and picture-postcard scenery... and a Creative Circle Award.
Jon Ratcliffe, account executive at Ogilvy, says: "WWF South Africa is such a big organisation with so many projects and partners that even when you have one of the world's best-known brands, coming up with a campaign to convey the scope of its work can be daunting."
The new campaign combines a familiar object - the 'Beware the wet floor' signs seen in corridors everywhere - with beautiful images of pristine natural environments.
Ratcliffe says the signs help convey WWF's message that it works with people in simple ways to save the planet. It also points to WWF's ethos of sustainable use: you can't convince someone not to poach when their family is hungry, but you can help them develop a sustainable livelihood if they become a stakeholder in it.
"There have been many campaigns showing nature at its most pristine, as well as plenty that show environmental destruction, with oil-soaked seabirds and so on.
"We opted for the incongruity of the bright yellow plastic sign on the seabed, in some fynbos and so on. It's completely out of place and so grabs the eye. It's also a positive, inspiring image, in contrast to the scenes of environmental devastation often used in similar ads."
The new campaign has been placed second in August's Creative Circle Awards.
Cathryn Treasure, marketing manager of WWF in SA, says: "The campaign helps show that WWF South Africa's conservation projects do have a direct and very real impact on the humanitarian issues of today.
"For example activities of the Freshwater Programme to create a sustainable source of drinking water for our communities; the Forest Programme's Dlinza aerial boardwalk which employs local people as guides and the Conservation Education Programme's national Eco Schools Programme which brings conservation into the everyday lives of schoolchildren."
