WWF Says: Stop Killing Stuff

The World Wildlife Fund was formed in 1961. It's worked hard ever since, as their mission statement says, "to build a future in which people live in harmony with nature." Since the foundation has been around so long, it has been able to reach all corners of the world with its helping hands, and do a great deal to achieve that goal. Some quick statistics from their website (http://www.wwf.org/) give a glimpse at just how far that reach has gone: WWF has five million supporters spanning 100 countries, led by more than 5,000 staff. 

Given the huge amount of campaigns dedicated to such diverse environmental issues, I want to focus on a couple of the more current campaigns to combat the slaughter of wildlife for unnecessary human use, such as fashion or decoration, that I feel are particularly powerful. 

Evolution Campaign

I love the simplicity of this campaign. It's very straightforward - you know from looking at it that WWF is discouraging the slaughter of wildlife. It speaks to a wide range of viewers because of its simple, easy-to-understand imagery, and I think the lack of copy makes it even more powerful. It's almost saying, "you should already know that this is wrong without being told." And the decision to cut off the evolution in the middle of the page with blank space under it really emphasizes the idea that should a species go extinct, its story can go no further. Simplicity in advertising is something I think many people respond positively to, and this campaign does a great job of evoking a response.

Imagine This Is Yours Campaign

The moment I saw these ads I felt a twinge of guilt. The campaign speaks directly to perhaps the most basic human (and animal) instinct: protect your young. It forces the viewer to see the slaughter of wildlife from a different, more easily relatable standpoint. It was probably created for an older audience of parents, but I think the meaning is clear enough to impact people of any age. The brief slogan, "Imagine this is yours," is just enough to guide the viewer's thoughts, but not so overbearing that it stops the imagination from running rampant with horrible thoughts of guilt. 

In its time, WWF has tried countless approaches to reach the widest audience possible. I find that the general theme of little to no copy with simple, striking imagery is particularly impactful given the message that's relayed: there's a simple fix for the unnecessary slaughter of wildlife, and that's to stop doing it.

-Saige