Share the Spark Project
Brought to you by Rejuvra® herbicide
THE SITUATION: Historically, wildfires occurred in the West every 80 years on average. In recent years, that number has jumped to one every five years.* The devastation of wildfires affects far more than just the land it engulfs. It destroys the rangelands that western ranchers depend on for their livelihood. In 2021, 58,733 wildfires burned more than 7.13 million acres in the U.S. So, in 2022, we wanted our client to be an influence to help slow this trend and protect western rangeland communities where our audience lives.
THE CHALLENGE: There are new grants specifically designed to equip westerners with the funding they need to protect their rangelands against wildfires with solutions like our client’s product, Rejuvra® herbicide. Rejuvra herbicide eliminates invasive species like cheatgrass that are quick to catch fire and make wildfires even more devastating by burning hotter and faster.
THE SOLUTION: We launched Share the Spark Project by inviting county weed directors to be the spark that brings change and helps stop the spread of wildfires in their community. In this PSA-style campaign, we directly connect weed directors and their rancher counterparts to federal and local grants.
Team: Shelby Georgis (ECD) Jaclyn Phenicie (CD), Troy Jones (ACD Art), Emily Desmond (Sr. CW) Eddie Diazmuñoz Martinez (Sr. AD), Dani Gratton (Sr. AD), Heidi Dean (Sr. CW), Brittany Einsmann (CW), Junsue Park (Video)
Share the Spark Project
Talking Directly to Weed Directors where wildfires are constantly threating
Most county officials got into the role because they wanted to create change. So told the emotional story of how these grants can create huge impact for their community through our launch video.
We launched by putting the project directly in weed directors hands
Leaning into the tension of how a spark starts a fire or create change, we created a direct mail piece that would not only stand out in the mailbox but in their minds.
We sent a small booklet noting the responsibility we know these matches represent and the power they yield. And that the extra matchbooks are for them to share the spark with others they respect in their offices and community.
We sent a follow-up that felt as impossible as stopping wildfires: a fireproof poster
Linking us directly to the idea of stopping fires and getting attention for our project. The objective was to create stopping power within their offices. And spark conversations to create change.
Because sending a poster that says it’s fireproof is an invitation for some, we dialed in our message all the way into the legal lines. “Sure, you could burn this poster if you tried really hard. But our goal is to make wildfires less likely and less damaging by getting you connected to grants to protect your land. So we're hoping you do that instead of trying to burn this poster.”
We spoke directly to ranchers in the same areas
The weed directors and ranchers are both invested in protecting the land and sustaining it for the long haul. They also lean on each other to know what’s best for lands in the areas in which they live. We know they talk, so we built awareness with both audiences.
We didn’t stop there
We created :15 cut downs of our :30s to tell our emotional story on social and in high-impact digital channels.
Weed Director :15
Rancher :15
Our website was a deep resource for all things grant writing, grant finding and wildfire news.
‘The Spark’ our newsletter featured the latest industry and wildfire news. We also send grant alert emails with new grants they could qualify for and take action on.
To make this PSA-style campaign have it’s own legs to stand on, we developed a mini-brand for the project. We knew we needed authenticity with our audience, so we intentionally crafted our brand to feel like a park badge with an earthy color palette. And kept our connections to our newly launched master brand, Envu, subtle.
Results for this type of PSA project are a long game. But in our first year, we’re pretty proud of what we achieved.
Every touchpoint of our integrated plan directed audiences to our website. There we gathered emails and started ranchers and weed directors on their journey to finding grants that could help their lands. Ultimately this PSA campaign is about helping our client’s product, Rejuvra® herbicide, become a powerful part of their wildfire prevention program. And in our first year, we succeeded in protecting 200,000 acres of rangeland by applying Rejuvra® to eliminate cheatgrass for the long haul.