State of the Brand

Author: Jason Voiovich Ecra Creative Group

Key Points: 1. A single print and broadcast ad from the World Wildlife Federation comparing the 9/11 terror attacks to the 2005 Tsunami death toll crosses the line. 2. But it is not that the ad shocks us - that’s not the point - the ad flies in the face of the mission of the organization, and undermines its reputation. 3. Corporate sponsorship, partnerships, and individual membership will likely suffer in the US, perhaps with irreversible damage.

I don’t have a problem with shock advertising.

I really don’t.

In some instances, violently abrupt advertising can help shake us out of our complacency and drive attention (and ideally, action) toward a worthy cause.

But it is so easy to get it wrong. The follow ad from the World Wildlife Federation is a case in point.

In case you can’t read the headline, here goes:

“The Tsunami Killed 100 Times More People Than 9/11. The planet is brutally powerful. Respect It. Preserve it. www.wwf.org”

There’s also a video version. You can catch it on YouTube.

I am not an easy person to shock, but when Bob Kay, Creative Director from Minneapolis-Based Mojo Group, passed this along, I thought I’d choke.

The ad was the brain child of Brazilian Ad Agency DDB Brasil working with the local office of the World Wildlife Federation. As Bob helped me understand, the ad ran in just one Brazilian newspaper for a reason: In order to enter the ad for consideration for an industry award, it needs to be published at least once. That’s really nothing new; agencies do it all the time to get edgy ads into competitions and (hopefully) gain a little notice for themselves.

I get it. That was the agency’s strategic objective: Win an award. (Which, it did, in at least one show).

That clearly was not in keeping with the strategic objective of the WWF.

Yes, it is abrupt. Yes, it gets attention. Yes, it drives the point home. And yes, for people in the United States, in conjures a horrible set of images and emotions. Our reaction is visceral and raw. We’re angered. I have no defense for the agency who created this ad, nor the creative professionals who pushed it though, nor the staff at the WWF field office who gave it the rubber stamp. The action is unconscionable.

But if all the ad did was make us angry, and yet was clearly related to the point at hand, I would be called to stand with the creative team as professionals in the field.

That’s not the case.

Let’s look briefly at the specific strategic reasons this ad has the potential to seriously harm the reputation of the WWF.

First, the ad is not in keeping with the mission of the WWF organization.

“WWF’s mission is the conservation of nature. Using the best available scientific knowledge and advancing that knowledge where we can, we work to preserve the diversity and abundance of life on Earth and the health of ecological systems by protecting natural areas and wild populations of plants and animals, including endangered species; promoting sustainable approaches to the use of renewable natural resources; and promoting more efficient use of resources and energy and the maximum reduction of pollution. We are committed to reversing the degradation of our planet’s natural environment and to building a future in which human needs are met in harmony with nature. We recognize the critical relevance of human numbers, poverty and consumption patterns to meeting these goals.”

How, precisely, does a connection to terrorist attacks in New York City help achieve any of those goals? Where in the mission statement does the WWF demand that we “respect the brutality” of the planet? Where - in all the literature and communication from the WWF - do they create an “us against the planet” dichotomy? They don’t. In fact, I’m not sure even Greenpeace or PETA would ever go this far.

The WWF presents an image of the planet as a beautiful and fragile place - a place deserving of our attention, our consideration, and our protection. It is a supremely positive mission. This ad, almost single-handedly, destroys that image.

Second, once the word gets out, what major US corporation or foundation will want to be associated with the WWF? I wouldn’t risk it. There are plenty of places to funnel dollars to environmental causes (Nature Conservancy, anyone?). According to WWF financial data, those dollars account for about 15 percent of its operating budget. And that doesn’t count corporate and government partnerships (like Wal-Mart, Coca-Cola, Build-A-Bear workshop, and several US school districts).

Kiss all that goodbye.

Finally, the United States accounts for 1.2 of the WWF’s approximately 5 million individual members. That’s 24 percent of all members who contribute the vast majority of the organization’s “Individual Contribution” revenue of over $87 million.

Kiss your membership from New York goodbye.

Why so doom and gloom? It was just one ad, right?

That’s how these things start. It just takes one ad mixed with a healthy dose of institutional incompetence to kindle this waiting brush fire.

The WWF’s weakly-worded September 3, 2009 press release largely attempts to blame its field office for letting the ad through. WWF President Carter Roberts’ video apology is even worse.

The WWF can’t shirk this one. The ad has the WWF logo on it. The ad was created by an agency the WWF hired. What’s more, the WWF knew about the ad for almost a year, and it did nothing until people began to take offense.

Stupid. Just. Flipping. Stupid.

In the end, I’m sure the Brazil WWF field office and DDB Brasil just wanted to do a shocking ad, get some creative recognition, and keep the broader public scrutiny to a minimum. But unfortunately, you can’t keep an ad like this a secret in the social media age. The advertising community might find it first, but it won’t stay hidden for long. We like to share.

If I were the WWF’s President Carter Roberts, I would be updating my resume.

Related Links: 9/11 Tsunami WWF Broadcast Spot WWF President Carter Roberts Apology WWF.org

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