Other Case studies will be added here soon.
Dolphin Defenders
CIPR PRide Awards 2005, winner of:
Gold - Charity or non-profit campaign
Silver - Community campaign
The client
Moray Firth Partnership (MFP), a charity that brings together people interested in the wellbeing of the Moray Firth.
The brief
To help safeguard the Moray Firth's fragile dolphin population by encouraging people living and working in the area to change aspects of their behaviour.
The budget
£20,000, excluding VAT, to cover PR fees, education advisor's fees, and all print and production costs. Funded by BP.
The plan
Rigorous evaluation where success = changing people's behaviour. Strictly local campaign using the media we knew would work best in this area: weekly papers, local radio and word of mouth.
The campaign
a) Schools:
- workshops held in schools using study kits packed with activities
- pupils urged to join teams of “dolphin defenders”
- pupils become campaign champions through talks, songs, exhibitions, posters, media coverage and approaching MSPs
b) Pledges:
- local people make on-line pledges to change some aspect of their behaviour to benefit the dolphins
- pledge posters and cards distributed through Moray Firth Partnership members, community groups and businesses
c) Local media:
We target weekly newspapers and local radio. Highlights include:
- interviews, quizzes and a competition for Dolphin Week on Moray Firth Radio
- the winning dolphin defenders team perform songs, poems and tales at Moray Firth
- Partnership conference national BBC TV coverage of Portgordon Primary School Dolphin Defenders team
The results
| Target |
| 1,500 pledges |
| 25% of people keep their pledge |
| 50 schools ask for dolphin study kit |
| Deliver 20 dolphin defender workshops |
| 3 stories a month in local media |
| 95% uptake of key messages |
| 250,000 opportunities to see |
| Achievement |
| 2,351 pledges |
| 83% of people kept their pledge |
| 64 schools asked for dolphin study kit |
| Delivered 42 workshops |
| Over 4 stories a month in local media |
| 96% uptake of key messages |
| 1,265,944 opportunities to see |
The formal campaign is over, but the children will remain dolphin defenders and continue selling the message. The school kits will be in use for years to come. And the pledges are still coming in.
The verdict
“This campaign managed to raise awareness of the threat to the Moray Firth dolphins by successfully targeting three key audiences: schoolchildren, community group and businesses, and the local media.
“A good mix of well designed marketing materials were used during the campaign, including study kits, pledge cards, badges and posters especially targeted for each audience.
“This resulted in a high-profile campaign within the community as well as good local media coverage.
“This campaign was an inclusive and well-rounded one that engaged the community and achieved laudable results.”
Judges' comments, CIPR PRide Awards 2005