The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) was established by pioneering naturalist and artist
Sir Peter Scott and, as the organisation has grown, so have efforts to conserve, control and promote Wildfowl & Wetlands Territories internationally.
Every year WWT launch a project that is aimed to conserve Wildfowl & Wetlands. In 2003 WWT decided to focus upon the conservation struggle that threatens the Lesser Flamingo, that lives on the lakes of the Great Rift Valley in East Africa. The primary aim of the project is to identify sites used by Lesser Flamingos in East Africa so they can be protected and conserved. This research will support an international flyway management plan. WWT also hope to determine whether Lesser Flamingos have 'home lakes' to which they return often, and on which they spend the majority of their time.
• To stimulate consumer awareness of the projects aims and objectives
• To Increase traffic numbers using the website www.wwt.org.uk/flamingo
• To encourage organisations and individuals to ‘adopt a flamingo’
• To promote the work of WWT using the Lesser Flamingo project as an example
• To communicate to both the scientific community and general public without
compromising the integrity of a major international research programme
• Bird lovers
• WWT members
• Educational institutions including schools
• Scientists, academics, naturalists and conservationists
• Consumers interested in conservation
• Residents living close to WWT’s nine centres across the UK
In the absence of an in-house press officer, Montpellier’s was recruited by WWT to generate media interest for the campaign. The agency’s first role at very short notice (just two weeks) was to encourage key journalists to attend an international launch of the project. Montpellier recommended hat the launch take place at the London Wetlands Centre in Barnes near London (to maximise the potential media attendance of London-based journalists) rather than the WWT’s HQ in Slimbridge, Gloucestershire. The launch was attended by more than a dozen journalists including reporters from the Guardian newspaper, BBC World Service Programme Earth Report and Geographical Magazine.
To coincide with the day of the launch, Montpellier also secured a prime time slot with BBC Online to report exclusive details about the project. Following on from the launch Montpellier distributed press packs and made follow-up calls to more than 100 journalists in the print and broadcast media.
As well as BBC Online, Initial coverage included The Guardian, Earth Report (BBC World Service), HTV West, BBC Points West, BBC Radio Gloucestershire, The Citizen, Gloucestershire Echo and Star 107 FM.
Following on from the launch Montpellier concentrated on tailoring information for specific media targets. An example was the Daily Mail’s ‘We Can’t get Through the Week Without’ and the Express’s The Weekend Starts Here features. Negotiating with the editors for these highly-over subscribed features, Montpellier secured a photo and editorial about the ‘adopt a flamingo’ offer in both.
Other coverage includes a 1,500 word feature in Birds and Birding, a feature on the digital radio programme and website Passion for the Planet, One Planet (BBC World Service nature show) and World Birdwatch.
Furthermore Montpellier has secured an offer with Children’s ITV (CITV) for a piece to run this Autumn and there is significant interest from BBC’s Blue Peter programme to report on the progress of the project. Interviews have also been set up between the regional WWT centres with Manchester Evening News, Newcastle Journal and the Lancashire Evening Post.
The campaign has been measured on two points 1) amount of national, specialist and regional coverage and 2) amount of hits onto ‘Survival at the Edge of the Earth’ section of website. From May 2003 – August 2003 the number of column inches stands at the following: national hits: five national pieces, seven regional pieces (including Radio and TV) and four specialist pieces.
On point two (traffic driven to the website) the launch prompted more than 6,000 hits to the flamingo site from 24 to 28 May 2003. Major articles have preceded strong upwards trends in the traffic through the website. For example for the Daily Express piece which appeared on 5th July 2003 generated a jump of over 1,000 hits onto the flamingo section of the website over four days from 7 to 11 July. From initial launch activity, which generated many media hits, due to the concerted media effort to promote the project to each and every target market the numbers of visitors to the website has been continually growing.
The project was officially handed-over at the end of August and, at this handover Montpellier supplied the client with over 2 pages of media leads. All are expected to keep the project in the media limelight for the next few months.