Panda Font Takes World By Storm: How Businesses Can Benefit From Conservation Marketing
If you need a little bit of extra ‘cute and fuzzy’ in your life, try WWF Japan’s Panda Font, but if you need to strengthen your brand take a look at WWF Japan’s strategy.The Panda Font Project created by WWF Japan claims that the cute and fuzzy letters are “Made By Pandas For Pandas”. The goal of the project is to raise public awareness for the cause.
Each letter is stylized with a small panda bear either peeking around the side or up from below. The non-profit organization is hoping that the font will alert the public to the severe threat that giant pandas are facing. According to the WWF there are only 1,864 giant panda bears left in the wild. This means that our fuzzy black and white friends are almost extinct. The pandas face extreme threats from humans and conservation efforts are necessary for the species to continue.
Pandas in the wild live high up in the bamboo forests of China, and are cherished as peaceful and beautiful creatures. WWF Japan explains that pandas in the wild are facing the destruction of their habitat due to human disturbance and clearcutting of forests. Pandas rely heavily on the bamboo forests as bamboo is their only food source, and they need between 26 and 84 pounds of bamboo every day. As the Chinese economy grows, so does the encroachment on the wild pandas’ natural habitat. Railroads and passenger roads divide the forest creating isolated areas and leaving few options for breeding. The bears are simultaneously deprived of both food and mates, resulting in tragic blows for the populations.
WWF Japan is looking for support from the public to create protected reserves for the panda. To get involved visit WorldWildLife.org.
Marketing for Conservation
Marketing done by organizations looking to conserve our planet has a specific genius not typically found in day-to-day marketing. We could explain the ‘wild’ success of conservation marketing on the fact that it is for a good cause, but what if there is more to it than that? Most conservationists’ goals are to raise money for their organization, and to change or influence the minds of everyday individuals. In order to accomplish both of these goals a marketing solution is found in creative methods that spread quickly or ‘go viral’.
If you look at WWF Japan’s panda-themed font from a marketing point of view, they found a very inexpensive way to create a buzz for a great cause. From there it has quickly flown through social media and news sources, spreading the word across the globe. What if the same could be done for business?
According to the authors of Marketing and Conservation: How to Lose Friends and Influence People, “Conservation donors are often inspired by less tangible factors, such as the ‘warm glow effect’ that derives from moral satisfaction or praise from their peers. Thus, unless they fund services in their local area, they will generally receive little direct benefit from their donation and this produces two key aspects of conservation, low cost campaigns and building trust.”
While not every business can save the pandas, we can all take a leaf out of the conservation marketing book and try to recreate the warm glow feeling. This can be done by following the following steps:
- Be Charitable
Pick a charity that your business can support and let your clients know that a portion of their money goes to that foundation. It allows your customers to feel good about the money they send your way.
02. Be Creative
WWF Japan put on their thinking caps and created a font that just about everyone who has ever seen a panda wants to put on an email. It’s adorable, and more importantly, it’s cheap! Designing a font probably took a few hours and a font maker, but the idea is spreading across the internet like wildfire.
03. Be Consistent
Be sure that your content is published in steady intervals and maintains an even tone of voice. Use social media to get additional attention, and don’t be afraid to show some personality through your posts. Original respectful content and campaigns can go a long way in the business world.
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