WWF and its mission.
The World Wide Fund for Nature is a prominent global conservation organisation and one of the largest of its kind. Established in 1961, it operates across more than 100 countries, focusing on preserving natural habitats, addressing climate change, and promoting the sustainable use of resources. (WWF 2024)
“Our mission is to create a world where people and nature can thrive together. It’s time for action, not words to restore nature and tackle climate change.” (WWF, “Support WWF Today | Fight for Your World” 2024)
In order to fulfil their mission, the WWF have many points of focus which include :
- Wildlife Conservation (Aim to protect endangered species and re habilitate effected animals)
- Climate and Energy (Campaigns for reduction of carbon emissions and more renewables.
- Forests, Protecting and restoring forests (and the animals effected by deforestation)
- Water (Ensure sustainable fishing practices, protect marine biodiversity, and address plastic pollution.)
They also state that at the core to their non-profit are the strong values that the charity was built upon and still aim to encompass in every facet of their operation.
(WWF, “Our Values | WWF” 2024)
These core values are going to be very important for me to keep in mind, as I continue to go through my design process and make a digital marketing strategy, because they serve as a guideline of how the company aims to be perceived by the public and how it may want to outwardly present.
Target audience.
This is a second incredibly important component for me to consider in my design an marketing process. By defining who WWF are aiming to target most directly – I can tailer my strategy to suite this demographic the best.
other words would be international, respectful and courageous.
I decided to use chat GPT to create what it thought the potential target audience might look like, using the words on my mind map, and the Mission of the WWF. It said :
I believe this could be an accurate idea of what the WWFs target Audience looks like, although I think its important to remember in my branding I do not want to Alienate anyone. At the foundations of what the WWF stand for is the fair treatment of everyone and this should be reflected in my designs.
Although the profile of my target audience is predominately a person who is seeking out a cause to donate to. I should consider the possibility of outreach and bringing people into donating once they have learnt about issues that they where not previously aware of.
Therefore my target audience should be anyone who has the capability to understand the ethical and moral beliefs that the WWF stand for. This could fall under Pet owners, or Grandparents, electric car drivers, People who recycle. Basically a person who cares about a future and wants to play their part, no matter how big or small. I would aim to avoid specific socioeconomic groups, or genders.
Embracing as much diversity as possible and focusing on the human yearn to positively contribute to society/the planet.
Objectives for the multi-channel marketing strategy.
“Multichannel marketing refers to the practice of interacting with customers using a combination of indirect and direct communication channels – websites, retail stores, mail order catalogues, direct mail, email, mobile, etc. – and enabling customers to take action in response.” (SAS 2024)
But how does this align with the objectives of the WWF?
Well first an foremost I will be looking at WWF Website. I will be considering its Accessibility, Compatibility (in terms of responsive design) and also sustainability. Three considerations that are integral to the ethos of WWF. As previously discussed it in essential for none-profits to reach as many people as possible and considering the above points allows for the furthest outreach and consideration for the greatest audience.
My website could also include e-mail marketing. Triggered e-mails in the form of abandoned cart reminders, post-purchase follow-ups or newsletters. With SEO (search engine optimised content) to increase website ranking on search engines.
Other online presences to consider are Social Media and Video Streaming websites, Gaming platforms. I will consider how all of these platforms can be linked together. These platforms also allow for Influencer/celebrity collaborations that encourage user involvement. (hashtags etc)
Key features and functionalities to be included in the new web presence.
Visual hierarchy in an important consideration within functionalities and features. Because you could have very good functions on a web page but if they are not laid out in a way that makes it easy for the user to read and understand then its somewhat pointless. So I will remember as we discuss these functionalities how not just their presence, but also their position is important, and it should all be tailored specifically with a none-profit web presence in mind.
Obvious requirements include
- Mission Statement (clear and concise)
- Calls-to-Action (Prominent buttons encouraging donations, or other ways to contribute)
- About Us section
- Case Studies and successful Stories.
The Current WWF Website has all of the above features, in detail, with sub features underneath. It has lots and lots of information on it. However I think it is a little to sterile in places. I have also noticed that it does not have any options for the visually impaired. It requires lots of reading to navigate this website, which may alienate people. Including Text to Speech Software would make the chunks of text more accessible and less alienating to people who cannot read or are visually impaired.
Other features I could include would be some interactive tools to make the website feel more fun. As mentioned before in some places it feels a little sterile, adding some quizzes or videos could help to create a more welcoming environment for users who are not as confident or comfortable with reading. They may also help the site to appeal to a younger audience – as from previous research we can see that younger demographics have a shorter attention span, so interaction may help to keep them on the website for longer.
A final feature I would consider adding, is links to social media. At the moment I cannot find any obvious links to social media – which again I feel isolates the younger demographic. If you can direct people to social media pages they may follow the page – which would lead to exposure in the future to WWF when it appears on their news feeds – as opposed to a one time website visit. Social Media also brings the opportunity for celebrity engagement or influencer collaboration which also appeals to a younger demographic that may not spend much time on a website.
By including these features and ensuring an overall user-friendly design, I can hopefully consider my target audience and consider how I can make a lasting impact in visitors minds.
Inspiration.
Here I have selected some inspiration images off Pinterest that I find interesting and compiled them on photoshop. I want to include some more colour into the WWF design. Colour is a huge part of what draws people into a brand, or a web page. Colour conveys feeling and can subconsciously influence the way a viewer feels.
I have purposefully explored images above that are rich in colour and evoke an emotional reaction in me – whether that be good or bad. The images on the left evoke more feeling of hope – and happiness, where the images on the right give more sense of anger and hurt.
Given my target audience and aim to be inclusive I want to use colours and shapes that are easy and soft for the audience, that communicate the ethos of WWF. Thinking back to “courage, Integrity and respect” the WWF values, I can use colours that help to re enforce these ideas. I also use colours that represent the fight to save the planet that the WWF represents.
Here I explored some more art work on Pinterest that has commentary on saving the planet – I wanted to see what trends in visual communication clearly show this theme. If there are any constant themes in use of colour or imagery. I would say muted colours are defiantly more common, there are very few images that have bright colours.
https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1009044848/earthy-tones-color-swatches-color
https://www.schemecolor.com/true-earthy-tones.php.
These colour pallets seem to be a good representation of general consensus of what Earth tones are – something that I would be very suitable for the WWF trust. I have made some hand drawn mock ups of what my logo could look like, and what shapes might work best.
After looking into semiotics I thought that it might be best for my logo to be based around a circle – as it represents similar meaning as WWF stands for.
Here you can see slowly how I developed my ideas (from left – right) I tried to explore small new ideas on each sketch to get a good range of idea onto paper. I am happy with these designs, especially as I cam towords the images on the end. I think they have a good representation of the planet and animals – and I will definitely be exploring the concept of using The Earth and an animal paw further as I think it makes a statement without having to explain with text what it stands for.
By my final sketch i’ve started to feel really excited about my idea. I would like to show a modern, new representation of the WWF and breath come new life into the brand identity. Trying not to be influenced by their current marketing – and create something completely new and fresh.
Bibliography.
Archetti, Serena. “The Meaning of Colors: How to Use Colors in Your Art.” Serena Archetti, 5 Mar. 2023, www.serenaarchetti.com/blog/the-meaning-of-colors-how-to-use-colors-in-your-art.
SAS. “Multichannel Marketing: What It Is and Why It Matters.” Sas.com, 2020, www.sas.com/en_gb/insights/marketing/multichannel-marketing.html.
WWF. “History | WWF.” World Wildlife Fund, 2023, www.worldwildlife.org/about/history.
—. “Our Values | WWF.” World Wildlife Fund, 2024, www.worldwildlife.org/about/our-values.
—. “Support WWF Today | Fight for Your World.” Support.wwf.org.uk, support.wwf.org.uk/.