In short
Wildlife Haven is a local, Manitoba-based, not-for-profit organization that rescues and cares for wildlife, and when possible, releases them back to their natural habitats.
UpHouse began working with Wildlife Haven in the Fall of 2021 to help with a number of fundraising initiatives, one of which was a larger seasonal push to spread awareness of what they do.
We were engaged by Wildlife Haven to help them launch a fundraising campaign in December. They wanted to create an attention-grabbing campaign that would advertise wildlife sponsorships as a great holiday present and attract a younger demographic of supporters.
Methodology
We wanted to create a bold campaign that didn’t shy away from the reasons why these wildlife animals were being cared for in the shelter – largely human-related reasons. We also wanted to focus on individual stories of the wildlife in care and show that despite the unfortunate circumstances that led them to Wildlife Haven, these majestic animals still had their spirit and wanted to be free again one day.
We settled on the tagline ‘See Me Wild,’ pairing it with copy and creative that focused on the animals’ wild nature, making it clear that they are not pets. This translated well to a social media campaign, with clear calls to action that told audiences exactly how their sponsorship would make a difference (i.e. Sponsor me today to see me fly!).
Execution
We created content that juxtaposed the condition of the animals as they entered the Wildlife Haven facilities with the condition that they left in, showing the injuries caused by humans along with the potential these animals could have with the right care and support to recover. It showed that they couldn’t be tamed, and with the help of sponsors, we could all see them wild once more.
We also created a sponsorship catalogue with social media posts that linked to the catalogue. We used strong graphic images that highlighted each animal and shared stories from each animal’s injury, while also celebrating their resilience and documenting their recovery (and Wildlife Haven’s role in that recovery).
For social media, we knew we were working with a talented in-house team at Wildlife Haven who understood their audience and could manage posting social content themselves. This allowed us to stretch our budget further for our team to focus on larger creative pieces and digital marketing.
We focused on supplying them with content and graphics tailored to each of their audiences and the messages they wanted to share – starting with content aimed at animal lovers and transitioning to content with a holiday twist that they could begin posting closer to the holiday season. As the campaign ran, the client was able to pivot by capitalizing on audience engagement. This was made easier by the strong visual identity and concise brand messaging that was easy to emulate and adapt. Showcasing real wildlife in this campaign allowed us to create something that our audience could connect with, while also giving us the opportunity to educate people on the harm human interaction can have on wildlife. Wildlife Haven was on board and happy to give us the freedom to push the creative, which helped shape the finished product.
Outcome
The results were a social media campaign that was both visually striking and emotionally effective. The client and our own team were both moved. UpHouse ended up sponsoring animals on behalf of our clients as a New Year’s gift – something that garnered a lot of positive feedback.
The advertisements and promoted social media posts were seen 895,737 times and generated 6,593 clicks, resulting in an average click-through rate of 0.74%. Wildlife Haven also saw a 40% increase in new sponsors and donors, and demonstrated that the campaign successfully reached a new, younger audience.
Bold creative pays off – particularly when it’s centered around storytelling. The campaign would not have had the same impact if we hadn’t told the animals’ stories in an unfiltered way. A lot of the success is due to the organization we worked with and their dedication to the wildlife they serve – something that translated into their willingness to take risks.
