Snapchat is for posting silly, forgettable updates that don’t leave a digital footprint, right? Well, that’s how many of us are using it, yes. But it turns out that the premise of the app – messages that will disappear within a few seconds – is a fitting medium for organisations to convey the urgency of climate change.
Take Brazilian NGO OndAzul. It used the temporary photo messaging service to communicate the fleetingness of nature with its followers, showing natural resources that disappear from our planet in the 10 seconds we have to watch the campaign. For example, an image of trees disappearing reveals a message that says, “4km2 of the Amazon rainforest are destroyed by deforestation. You’ll never see these trees again.” Similarly, in those same 10 seconds, “140,000 litres of sewage are dumped into the Guanabara Bay.”
OndAzul’s goal? To promote sustainable ideas to its desired audience – teenagers – by using one of the most popular apps of this age group.
“Increasingly, millennials and young audiences are really interested in campaigns that talk to them in the same way as their peers,” says Thea Frost, CEO of digital creative agency, Somewhat.
Meanwhile, WWF’s #LastSelfie campaign used Snapchat in a similar way. Users who follow WWF accounts for Denmark, Turkey and Italy saw endangered animals like orangutans, gorillas and tigers share their “last selfie” before the temporary image disappears. The message read: “don’t let this be my #LastSelfie” or “I’ll be gone in 10 seconds. But you can still save my kind.” This is followed by a call to share a screenshot on social media, or to donate or adopt.
Thanks to the call to action to share the screenshot, the campaign received 6m impressions on Twitter, and with no paid media support, WWF reached its monthly funding target within the first three days of the campaign.
“Brands are seeing that they get a certain impact on Snapchat, but they get an even bigger impact when people are screenshotting that campaign and sharing it on Twitter,” Frost explains.
And it’s not just Snapchat that is being used as a campaign vehicle – augmented reality is also effective.
Dutch beer company Heineken used the Blippar mobile app to share its goal of sourcing 50% of its hops and barley sustainably by 2020. By scanning a bottle of Heineken or a beer mat, the Legendary 7 – seven real-life farmers from across Europe that produce high quality sustainable hops and barley – appear in a 60-second wild west style animation. This then linked to Heineken’s sustainability report and encouraged users to share a “7elfie”.
Frost says with a little bit of planning, organisations can create a campaign journey across different channels. “I think that’s when they become even more effective in terms of being prepared for people spreading messages and cross-pollinating from one social network to another.”
As well as engaging consumers on the natural world in fast hit campaigns, mobile applications can also help people take action on things closer to home. Sierra Club Ohio launched the Light Bulb Finder app to make it easier for consumers to switch from incandescent to energy-efficient lighting, and to educate users on the financial, energy and environmental incentives of doing so.
Meanwhile, the NHS has launched a free app with its Sustainability Day campaign to help people measure their carbon footprint. The 50k Carbon Challenge app suggests simple changes to daily activities, such as reducing beef intake, pledging a better commute or buying charity shop clothing, to help users reduce their carbon footprint.
Food waste is another issue being tackled via app. Sainsbury’s teamed up with Google to develop its Food Rescue app, helping consumers turn food that would otherwise be chucked away into meals and snacks. Users can say what food they’ve got left over (up to nine ingredients) to bring up recipe suggestions from a bank of over 1,200. The tool is also available online, but the app element means it can be used on the move – critically, while you’re shopping.
“Apps tend to work better if they’re for longer term engagement, because obviously you’ve got the investment of time from the audience in downloading it and installing it,” says Frost.
So, what’s the future of using mobile to communicate sustainability messages?
Chris Bilton, research and technology director, BT, says “The speed of mobile information will continue to accelerate, reaching us in real-time and across continents. This speed and scale, alongside the growth in big data and Internet of Things, means future apps will be more personalised and connect us more closely with our interests and values, so we can anticipate more ingenious, more purposeful apps that really matter to us and our world.”
Frost believes there is plenty of opportunity for “being very joined up in terms of using different channels, looking at strategies where there’s multi-channel storytelling.” She also thinks in the future there will be less complex technology and more “simple, visual, impactful messaging.
“Increasingly the audience is consuming content that is short, sharp hits of information in short bursts, and I think if brands become more adept to that kind of content, it will be interesting to see what kind of impact that has.”
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