Autor: Lisa-Marie Koenig

So in between all of this analysis I thought that it would be important to look into the regulations for advertising. In the ever-evolving landscape of advertising, the pursuit of capturing attention often leads marketers to the edge of creativity and controversy. Provocative advertisements, designed to provoke strong reactions, have become a common tool in the advertiser’s arsenal. However, as the quest for attention intensifies, so does the need to delineate the boundaries between what’s attention-grabbing and what crosses ethical lines.

This blog post delves into the intricate world of advertising restrictions, exploring the fine line between captivating content and potential ethical pitfalls. In the pursuit of getting the attention, how much is allowed for animal abuse. As we have social media and classic media where the topic is communicated differently.

The first thing that pops up when you search for regulations in advertising for animal welfare is about the ban for adverts for torture breeding traits. It was started in September 2022. Animals which cannot breath properly due to overbreeding, have no hair or are in pain with every move. „Qualzucht“ refers to breeding practices that prioritize certain physical traits at the expense of the animal’s health and well-being. This may involve selecting for exaggerated features that can lead to severe health problems or discomfort. Often they are breed like that because people prefer the look – and so they also were used a lot in advertisements which led to people wanting these specific kind of animals themselves. Due to health issues a lot of them get into shelters when the people don´t want to pay the high fees at the vet anymore – a decision to get this animal which could be influenced by such adverts. So here we see that not showing something in adverts may help to reduce the buying decisions.

Directly connected to animals there is in the orf-regulations:

㤠Section 13 includes commercial communication. The advertising ban in para. 4 has been extended (to include the area of devices intended for tobacco products and related products for consumption).
As in the AMG, the protection of animals in advertising for the marketing of medicinal products and therapeutic treatment has also been included here.“

And in the audiovisual Media Services Act:

„§ Section 34 para. 2 Commercial communication relating to medicinal products, medical devices and therapeutic treatments must not harm animals.“

A lot of regulations are including health and nutrition, alcohol, tabac and the protection of minors. But in my topic it would also be important to know what are the limits in advertising – not directly for animals. But some organisations use cruel images and videos with disturbing content which is mainly streamed on social media (slowly the documentaries are finding their way into television) – what are the regulations for content like this? On a google support questions they write that in their payed adverts they do not want (which is kind of the same for many other platforms):

Examples of content that we may consider violent or shocking:

• Vulgar language
• Violent language
• Discriminatory terms or images
• Cruel images
• Explicit depiction or description of injuries caused by violence
• gratuitous depiction of bodily fluids or excrement
• Advertising that may shock or cause fear
• Advertising in which sensitive events are marketed

We consider the following content in video ads to be shocking:

• Violent or repulsive images that may have a shocking or disturbing effect on viewers and may show, for example, the following:
• Blood splatter
• bodily fluids
• Human or animal remains
• Explicit depiction of the consequences of an act of violence
• Images of violence or blood at the center of a video scene
• The violence depicted in the video is realistic if it is posted in a dramatic context
• Other factors include perspective, focus and clarity of the images.

So with this criterias the campagins from Soko Tierschutz would never be allowes to be payed adverts. As I know they sometimes blurr scenes but I also could already watch some really disturbing content on their channel – which was never a paid advert. On the one hand it would be important for specific topics to show the reality as a lot of people still are not aware of what is going on. Most know that not everything is going the right way but they do not know how bad it actually is. In a paper about a press conference March 2023 they presented a study on how people see the current situation and which expectations they have when specific terms are used in slogans or on products.

Just a short exerpt from that:

1. Consumer Expectations: Consumers expect a strong connection to Austria for products labeled „Made in Austria,“ especially in terms of raw materials and manufacturing. Regional products are expected to have ingredients and processing within a limited distance, usually within Austria.
2. Importance of Animal Welfare: Animal welfare is crucial for almost 88% of respondents, encompassing factors like proper animal housing, stress-free slaughter, ethical feeding, outdoor access, and short transports.
3. Discrepancy Between Expectations and Reality: The survey indicates a misalignment between consumer expectations and the actual content of products. Advertising, especially concerning origin and regional claims, can be potentially misleading, necessitating a balance between marketing and truth.
4. Advertising Impact on Perception: Advertising, especially using terms like „Made in Austria,“ influences consumer perceptions. For instance, consumers expect higher quality and less contamination in plant-based foods and better animal welfare in animal products when associated with Austria.
5. Challenges in Regional Definitions: Consumers value regional products but struggle with clear definitions. The term „regional“ lacks legal or food book definitions, creating uncertainties in consumer understanding. However, nearly all respondents expect at least Austrian origin for products labeled as „regional.“
6. Desire for Clear Labeling and Regulations: Consumers demand more transparent and truthful advertising. The AK (Arbeiterkammer) proposes several measures, including binding animal welfare labels, supplementing origin labels with animal welfare standards, defining „regional,“ a new quality label law, and effective controls by food authorities.

In conclusion, the survey highlights the need for clearer regulations, transparent advertising, and effective controls to align consumer expectations with reality, particularly regarding the origin and welfare standards of products in Austria. So as we see people get are dazzled and influenced by special expressions in advertising. The question is whether it becomes legitimate in a way to use cruel material for advertising to show the reality and to shake people awake. And also there are organisations which say that the adverts where animals are happy and outside doesn´t show the reality and so it is kind of false advertising as well – but there is no an effective legal remedy.

Sources: https://www.konsumentenfragen.at/konsumentenfragen/GesundheitUmweltundTierschutz/Gesundheit_und_Umwelt/Werbeverbot_fuer_Tiere_mit_Qualzuchtmerkmalen.html

https://broschuerenservice.sozialministerium.at/Home/Download?publicationId=633&attachmentName=Qualzuchtverbot_in_der_Werbung_pdfUA.pdf

https://wien.arbeiterkammer.at/interessenvertretung/konsument/Presseunterlage_20230327.pdf

https://vgt.at/presse/news/2022/news20220421ff.php

https://www.wko.at/oe/information-consulting/werbung-marktkommunikation/werbebeschraenkungen-und-verbote-in-medien

https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6362085?hl=de

https://wien.arbeiterkammer.at/interessenvertretung/konsument/Presseunterlage_20230327.pdf

https://vgt.at/presse/news/2022/news20220421ff.php

„Nach diesem Video wirst DU dich schämen ein Mensch zu sein.“ Released on 10.11.2023
The video currently has 1.3 million views and 100,000 likes.

The video delves into the real lives of pigs behind the closed doors of what appears to be a decent pig farm with piglet production. I watched the film right when it was released, and from the beginning, tears welled up in my eyes, leaving me frustrated, disgusted, and profoundly sad. Just before the release, there was a trailer for this film by Robert Marc Lehmann, and he received substantial feedback even before unveiling the final product. It was a strategic move to ensure that as many people as possible would watch the video and perhaps reconsider their stance. Personally, it had a profound impact on me. Now, I want to delve into the comments on this video, as it wasn’t just a sad, shocking, and cruel story; it featured very graphic images, showcasing dead piglets, brutal castration, and the dismal life circumstances of these animals. The material was challenging to witness.

Klabauterklaus wrote (summarized): He is a 56-year-old man who loves eating meat and grilling, but he found himself in tears while watching. Since then, he can’t consume any meat and is exploring vegan options. He is watching the film a second time and intends to do so even more, despite the discomfort, because we need to comprehend it and take action. He also expressed great empathy for Samara, who plays a significant role in the documentary – a poignant aspect of the video.

Robert himself emphasized the importance of showcasing Samara and her suffering in the film. Samara started working there to witness the real situation and regularly rescues pigs and piglets from dire circumstances. The aim is to emotionally trigger people to prompt a reconsideration.

Blankpaskal8896: „This should be aired on television without censorship.“

Many people echo the sentiment that it should be broadcast on television during prime time so that a broader audience can see it. Comments on Robert’s videos often come from individuals already within the same ethical mindset. He notes that most of the negative and hateful comments are directed privately to him, rather than being public commentary.

Numerous comments express admiration for Samara and commend her for the emotional toll she endures in her work. People express gratitude for her efforts and wish her the best. Some commenters feel ashamed and pained. Weeks later, there are updates from individuals stating that they have become vegetarians since watching the video and are now advocating for this lifestyle themselves (franusskardinal9954).

Upon scrolling through, it’s apparent that the majority of comments support the message, with people declaring intentions to change their lifestyles due to the disturbing images. Only a few write that it doesn’t bother them or express a dislike for vegans, vowing to continue eating meat (NeoqZx_MTB). The minority of comments against the film’s message are often sarcastic provocations that downplay the deeper meaning behind the content, with doubts about whether they watched the entire nearly 2-hour video.

So even though it is tough material to watch – people think it is important to see it like this so that everybody gets kind of a nudge in the right direction to overthink their behavior. Some even say that without these images people would not reconsider their decisions and they need this cruel images.

Switching gears to another video titled „Exposed: The Dark Secret of Dairy Farms: Mission Milk,“ the overall outcome comprises 870,000 views and 87,000 likes. This video, released on December 6, 2022, is a collaboration with Soko Tierschutz. It showcases cows living in what seems to be good farms, eliciting commentaries similar to those on the pig video. However, as the footage is not as drastic as that depicting pigs, the comments are less intense. Viewers express shock, but not to the same extent, and share the opinion that change is imperative. I recall feeling disgusted when watching this film, especially because many people consider eating meat to be ethically questionable, but the conditions within this sector are not often widely known.

These videos frequently serve as reminders for people to reflect on why they choose a meat-free lifestyle and abstain from other animal products.

In conclusion, videos exposing the harsh realities of animal agriculture wield considerable influence in reshaping public perceptions and prompting meaningful change. The emotional narratives and graphic content featured in these videos serve as powerful catalysts, evoking deep empathy and fostering a collective call to action.

The transformative impact is evident in the numerous heartfelt comments, where individuals express a paradigm shift in their attitudes and commitment to ethical living. Personal stories, like Klabauterklaus’s journey from a meat enthusiast to a vegan advocate, underscore the profound effect these videos have on viewers.

Key figures, such as Samara in the documentary, amplify the emotional connection, driving viewers to reassess their choices and advocate for animal welfare. The virtual forum of comments becomes a platform for shared experiences, gratitude for newfound awareness, and public commitments to positive lifestyle changes.

As these impactful videos gain wider audiences, they play a crucial role in fostering a collective conscience and sparking conversations about the ethical dimensions of our food systems. While the full extent of societal change may take time, the growing viewership and engaged discussions signify a burgeoning movement toward a more compassionate and sustainable future.

Sources: The videos and the comments on there.

Robert Marc Lehmann is a marine biologist, scientific diver, and adventurer, as he describes himself on his website. He is also an award-winning photographer and cameraman—on land and underwater. In 2015, he won Photographer of the Year from National Geographic. With his organization „Mission Erde,“ he initiated a significant and influential project—now the organization has a total of six members working on different projects.

Through him, I started to inform myself about animal welfare, the environment, the problems we face, and how we might bring about change. In these years, I could see how he managed to influence many young people to rethink their life decisions and make an effort for a better world. He had professional documentaries on TV, but two years ago, he started a new YouTube channel (he already had a channel before, but it was not too successful) and began streaming after participating in a big livestream with another YouTuber at that time, Fritz Meinecke. In this livestream, they discussed fishing and other topics, generating significant interest and prompting him to explore the opportunity further.

Since then, he streams regularly, reacting to different videos about animals, environmental problems, the survival show „7vs Wild,“ and more. He has also published several documentaries in cooperation with, for example, Wilderness International and Soko Tierschutz, which I already wrote about—and more. Mostly, the films focus on a specific region or animal, addressing the threats and suggesting ways to help. Depending on the topic, you may encounter very cruel images of animal abuse, but with Wilderness International, you also see the beautiful side of our world—he tries to show both, as he said himself, to avoid becoming overwhelmed by the constant exposure to the darker aspects.

To be honest, you could write a whole thesis just about him and his work, but I try to focus on him here as a medium, a speaker for animal rights and environmental protection. Through his personality (he is very direct and honest), he has convinced many people to delve into these topics more. To remember the Petition about Fur (over 1.6 million signatures) and the Stop Finning Petition (1.2 million signatures)—through his films, the signatures for these petitions rose immediately after publishing, leading to discussions in the EU Parliament. With his call, many famous German influencers shared the initiative on their channels, contributing to its success.

I watched all these films by myself, and I must say that I had tears in my eyes with all of them. I was ashamed and felt so bad to see how dark humans can be—but he always ends the films in a way that gives hope and shows that there is a chance to do something about it.

So, why is he relevant for my research? He makes documentaries, videos about the topic, and encourages other people to create content about it as well. He is kind of an expert for many people as he receives numerous videos and is asked about different situations—whether they are right and what his opinion is about them. He also gets very emotional and direct about animal rights and has a whole community behind him, following him on every step if he wants—he has a big responsibility because he can influence many people. Many times he consciously uses this power to move them in a specific direction, but he also always emphasizes the importance of staying kind and having respect.

Robert Marc Lehmann’s campaigns have had a lot of success, and he has used different methods—he showed the ugly, the beauty, the hope, the cruelty, the best, and the worst. It’s an example where you see that not one way is right, but you have to choose the right method for the right message. And it depends on what you want to achieve. In the next post, I will analyze some of his campaigns more and even get into comments on his videos to show the impact.

Sources:

• First Youtube Video on New Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsS0b7vidR8&t=18s
• His Website: https://www.robertmarclehmann.com/en/
• Mission Erde: https://missionerde.de
• Geo Article: https://www.geo.de/natur/robert-marc-lehmann–der-einkaufszettel-ist-ein-stimmzettel–30492052.html
• Year Report 2022: https://missionerde.de/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Jahresbilanz_2022.pdf
• This is vegan Article: https://this-is-vegan.com/en/interview-marine-biologist-robert-marc-lehmann-on-saving-the-worlds-oceans/

Advertising uses different strategies in general. Emotions are a big player in advertising as we all know for sure. Emotions drive sales and purchasing decisions are often influenced by feeling and emotions rater than purely logical reasoning. Brands try to create a connection between the customer and their brand or product – they try to appeal to their emotional state, their ego, their need and fears. Strong core emotions. It leads to higher conversion rates and create a desire to interact and connect. Emotions also make ads more memorable.

A highly used emotions is happiness – positive advertisements are also more likely to be shared.

These methods are also being used in campaigns agains animal abuse and for protecting the planet. The strategies which are working in promoting products and getting the customer to pay for it even though they do not need it are also working here if used wisely. People are getting aware of different problems and feel the urge to contribute to the cause – they get emotionally attached to for example the animals or are shocked by what is happening. Different people also require different adverts.

But there are also some discussions about how effective scandal adverts, and highly provocative images are working. Mainly it is all about raising awareness and to get the people to engage – a brand wants that for their product and a non-profit organisation hopes for donations for their project. But people get used to it and there is kind of an consumer resignation. Now more and more subtle and creatively crafted adverts are in demand to ensure highly effective impact.

Emotional Advertising for the good cause.

In summary these features are also wanted in adverts for animal welfare and for the environment. Advertising for these topics is important to raise awareness and get the support that is needed to fight.

Here is how emotional advertisiting connects back to these topics.

1. Eliciting Empathy & Compassion: With heartwarming images, videos or narratives ads try to evoke empathy and compassion – to connect on a deeper level.
2. Raising Awareness: The emotional impact captivates audience and grabs their attention. They make them more receptive to the message which is conveyed,
3. Creating Connection: Creating a Connection between the audience and the cause – it resonates with the content and so they may be more invested themselves.
4. Driving Action: Every ad has the goal to provoke a positive action – donation, responsible consumer choices or supporting the activism themselves.
5. Positive Associations: Through the emotional advertising an positive associations can be created. Values like compassion, responsibility, ethnical treating of animals can enhance the brand loyality and reputation.
6. Highlight Success Stories: Beautiful stories where the project already had made a positive change can convince the audience to also support and believe that it works and they can help. This shows them that individual actions also can make a meaningful difference.
7. Shared Values: With similar values the viewer has it can create a sense of collective responsibility for a positive change and that nobody is alone in this.
8. Conversation: Emotional Ads get people to talk about the topic – it gets people in a dialog which is also an important step in animal welfare. If people talk about it it gets more important and bigger and gets more reach.

For non-profit organisations it´s often hard to argue why they also need to advertise and why they sometimes choose this kind of advertising. But they just do the same as other brands do so that they get the support they need to make the effort of change and effort of getting people to reflect on their behavior. What works in normal ads also works in animal & environment protection advertising.

https://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2022/02/14/emotional-advertising-how-and-why-brands-use-it-drive-sales

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/emotional-appeal-advertising#:~:text=For example%2C suppose you’re,and helped illicit those emotions.

https://www.trendhunter.com/slideshow/animal-abuse-ads

https://www.springerprofessional.de/werbewirkungsforschung/verkaufstechniken/was-bringt-skandal-werbung-/16266544

In 2011 the Oldenburg agency „Frese & Wolff launched a shock campaing by the German Animal Welfare Association (DTSchB). The overarching message of this campaign was „Feel like an animal“. The Posters depict beautiful people with suffer like animals in different situations. The campaign comprises four visuals addressing various animal welfare issues, including the pain of piglet castration without anesthesia, primate experiments, and branding on horses. The creators emphasize that using shock elements is necessary to prompt people into action and raise awareness for animal welfare. The campaign is supported by posters, advertisements, large-scale displays, and a cinema ad, with plans for television broadcast. Positive reactions and increased traffic on the website and Youtube suggest a successful campaign.

On the website of Arche Noah Austria they also give arguments why such campaings are important and why it is also necessary to use money for advertising for animal welfare and enviromental topics. Others might argue why they are not using the money for animals or directly where help is needed. But they say that we have to see the suffering and problems so we can help making a change. Raising awareness of the need for animal welfare is key.
The reality is that many people are not fully aware of the urgent issues animals face. Therefore, it is crucial to educate the public, promote empathy, and bring about changes in behavior and attitudes. Through theyfundraising efforts, they can reach more people and make a significant contribution to animal welfare.

Live Slaughtering

Another interesting documenting i found was from Quarks. They released a youtube video which has already over 2 million views. The topic is a live slaughtering of geese. The accompany a farmer to a market where they normally would sell their already prepared goods. This time they took 10 living geese with them. After some time one customer bought a geese which then got freshly slaughtered for him in front of everybody. Even the police came by to check if this is legal – which it was. A lot of people where frustrated and shocked, whereas others came to the conclusion that if you want to eat meat you have to be aware that this is the reality but normally you do not see it. Later one girl wanted to buy all the geese to save them from their faith. She put together a foundraising and could save them – they later also showed how the geese where rescued and brought to their destination. They also talked about how a goose would live up to 16 years normally but for the meat they just live one year. But the sad thing about this event is that the farmer shown in the documentary is working kind of animal-friendly and its important to him that the short life the animals have is a good life – but he wants is customers to see what is behind that and that in the end every animal has to die for their food. The reactions from all the passersby show how different the perceiption of people is about this topic. Some would never want to see an animal die but do not have a problem to eat it – others are very dry in their opinion in this topic and appreciate that there are farmers who try their best to produce guilt-free products.

Sources:

https://www.wuv.de/Archiv/Frese-Wolff-Drastische-Werbung-für-Tierschutz

https://www.nwzonline.de/wirtschaft/oldenburg-kampagne-schock-plakate-aus-oldenburg-sollen-tierschutz-forcieren_a_1,0,666096220.html

https://www.aktivertierschutz.at/warum-oeffentlichkeitsarbeit-im-tierschutz-so-wichtig-ist

In contrast to the analysis about Wilderness International – this time I will take a look at Soko Tierschutz. A non-profit association in germany. First to say is that this blog will not go into the moral and ethnic side of this topic – it only looks on the advertising and design of communication for protection of wildlife / animals and nature.

What is Soko Tierschutz?

On their own website they write this: „

SOKO Tierschutz is independent and strictly non-partisan. We want to restore the word animal welfare to its original meaning, which has been watered down beyond recognition by the large organizations. Animal welfare means protection from death, pain and fear. The clear consequence is the implementation of animal rights and a vegan lifestyle.
To achieve this, we go where animals suffer. … We show the reality behind the walls and fences. Our tactic is investigative research, our aim is to uncover the truth about animal husbandry and its consequences for the environment and the consumer. We distance ourselves from all violence against living beings and objects, hate speech and contempt for humanity. The enforcement of animal rights is only possible in a peaceful democratic way, taking into account the rights of all living beings.“¹

So they are no extremistic organisation or some kind of this – but they use the real footage from all their investigations to portrait the criminal offenses or moral injustice which is happening. Since Friedrich Mülln founded Soko Tierschutz in 2021 they could already close 14 slaughter houses and 4 animal testing laboratories which where obviously operating with illegal standards and brutal cruelty. They investigate and make professional research which is used in court to close these companies. But in addition they also have uncovered many more animal abusers in different cases.

What are their working methods?

They have the expertise and give people the information to make their own decision. Especially with slaughter houses it´s kind of a problem, as people know that animals have to die so that there is meat to buy – but a normal customer doesn´t see how it is done and how often it is done in a far more cruel way as it would have to. They show what is happening and how often it is not like we assume. I for my part already thought everybody knows that

That is their instagram: I won´t put in more images as they might be disturbing to some people and you can go on their website or social media yourself if you want to see how it looks:

Vision Identity

They work with a very formal an striking graphic language. The message is the main focus – there are no fancy graphics to distract from the message. Their logo looks like a batch kind of from military – as they are also often times working in a kind of an undercover unit style with military equipment to get into the industries and document everything.

Mission Milch

Also here Robert Marc Lehmann plays a role. Same as with Wilderness International I discovered Soko Tierschutz through him. They made a campaing together to show the cruelty of the milk industry. They made an undercover investigation and broke into some farms. It is to show what has to happen so we have milk products and to open the eyes of the consumer to make the „right“ decision.

At Soko Tierschutz it´s not about cute animals and pretty pictures – it´s about showing the reality working with facts and so convince people to rethink what they consume. The industry doesn´t show these parts as they want you to buy their products – obviously.

So how can someone measure if this is the right strategy?

It´s not that simple to say it´s a good and the right strategy. But they are successful with what they do. Especially since they are more cooperating with well known people like Robert to get a broader target group.

Sources:

https://www.soko-tierschutz.org/presse

Video Mission Milch: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiBh_O3m4yDAxVt0AIHHRtOCowQwqsBegQIDRAG&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DB_pHcBfb0Go&usg=AOvVaw1ZUk2FU2F5-AnOl_Bho-e0&opi=89978449

1. https://www.soko-tierschutz.org/soko-selbstauskunft ↩︎

For the entry in this topic I want to start with analysing Wilderness International.

What is Wilderness International?

It consists of three different non profit organisations with departments in Germany, Canada (founded in 2008) and since 2019 also in Peru. Their main goal is to safe and protect as much intact forests (especially wilderness) as possible. The working method is to legally and securely buying the forest (from forestry corporations, private individuals, various companies, and mining speculators) and so they can assure that it can´t be destroyed. This works by having locals who guard the wilderness on the spot. So they protect the land and the animals which live there.

How does it actually work?

Wilderness International gathers donations through abonnements options, through campaigns etc. A donation of 1€ equals 1m2 of land. They also cooperate with companies so companies can compensate their CO2 Footprint with saving forest by donating themselves or using WI as a partner so customers safe land through purchases. After the purchase one gets a certificate with images from aerial view to show the exact spot they bought.

About the brand and visual communication?

Their branding and online presence is focused on being hopeful, transparent and trustworthy. Their main color is green which makes totally sense with forests and environment as their main focus. But instead of making another generic environmentally friendly and not so “pretty” brand they established a very reputable branding for their mission by now.They work with a lot of visuals – they try to make texts short and just give the important information. It´s all about giving hope and inform transparently but also easy understandable. Everything is supported by illustrations in a playful way or by stunning photographs and videos. Over the years they gathered a lot of talented and well known wildlife photographers for their cause who know how to depict the nature to get people to understand the importance and beauty of nature.

Their own visual communication contains not much of the sad and ugly sides of forest destruction – these sides of the problem are more shown through people on the internet who may have an own online presence and educate about the cruel things happening according nature and wildlife. Wilderness International just works with the bright side of the problem – their solution and how it will affect the future. Their language is very positive and clear. It´s not too emotional just enough to let the people get the feeling of „yes I did that – I made an positive impact“.

Wilderness International and Robert Marc Lehmann (Mission Erde)

I for myself can say I discovered them through Robert Marc Lehmann – a very big german animal and environmentalist (just a short description cause he is way more than that). He cooperated already with Wilderness International for a long time where with every purchase in his shop you got one m2 of the wilderness.

Then they made a film as Robert is also making impressing films about nature and animals about the forest in Peru as well as Canada where they showed how the documentation of the forest and work on the sport is done. They showed the land and local animals – they showed exactly how the drone is documenting the whole land and how they gather the data to make the certificates and so on later. It was all about evoking hope and show how beautiful these piece of land is. To encourage people and to raise donations. Robert has build a big community of mostly young people through Youtube and Social Media in general where he creates awareness for the environment and wildlife – the campaign was directed to this community called “Mission Erde” – his own foundation. To date (22.11.2023) 19.436 people made a donation and safed about 74 hectar forest in Peru just through this film. In the entire Mission Erde could safe 240.343 m2 with his book, the different campaigns and so on.

My conclusion

Their strategy is working really well. They have a big network already after 15 years of their mission. Social Media and promotions from other influencers got a lot of people to donate and support. One the one hand it is very attractive cause you can do something for a good cause with just 1€ already but on the other hand the visual communication is a big player with getting people to donate. People get happy feelings and feel good by supporting them – they leave Wilderness International with a positive impression and may come back later as well and donate again. Another point is their very transparent communication. With their visual language (the playful illustrations & stunning nature photography) they make a big impact on the viewer and they manage to explain such an important and complex topic in a short amount of time as people prefer this than doing a lot of deep research. Their brand looks trustworthy so the people do not need much to be convinced. It´s not about showing all that is going wrong – it´s rather about how the current situation is looking and how we can make a change which protects our future.

I also found a very interesting paper about „Ist Werbung für ein Produkt Naturschutz überhaupt möglich?“ – I will go deeper into this in another blog cause this one is already very long but just from the first few sentences I can make a good connection to Wilderness International. They say that it is highly important to make advertisment for the conservation of nat

Sources:

• https://en.wilderness-international.org/informieren/ueber-uns
• Partners of Wilderness International: https://wilderness-international.org/partner/
• Mission Peru: https://wilderness-international.org/mission-peru
• Website Mission Erde: https://missionerde.de
• Youtube Channel Robert Marc Lehmann: https://www.youtube.com/@MissionErde
• Wilderness International Impact Report: https://issuu.com/wildernessinternational/docs/wilderness_international_wirkungsbe_423c6879ead33a
• Youtube Channel Wildlingz : https://www.youtube.com/@wildlingzz
• Seminararbeit: Ist Werbung überhaupt möglich für Naturschutz? https://www.zobodat.at/pdf/Laufener-Spez-u-Seminarbeitr_8_1983_0015-0018.pdf

Environment and wildlife protection

Strong words/pictures – sweet illustrations. Which is the right way?
Animal welfare and environmental protection are issues that are very close to my heart. They are important topics that concern us all and also affect us. This makes it even more important to find the right way to communicate to others. Communication design should visualize and make it understandable, it should draw attention – which is exactly what the environment and animals need, as they have no voice themselves. I would like to look at the different strategies for campaigns of this kind. Does shock therapy like the awful images on cigarette packs work or is it better to work with hopeful illustrations and images to show what we need to protect? We live in a time of extremes, where activism for a good cause can quickly go in the wrong direction and miss its target. Also, these are all issues that rely heavily on donations and often there is no money for decent campaigns unless someone agrees to do it on a voluntary basis.

First I will take a deeper look at Wilderness International and https://www.soko-tierschutz.org as they show both sides. The one organisation works a lot with mesmerizing images and high quality footage from forests and jungles and try to convince you to donate and so they can preserve more forests. Whereas SokoTierschutz shows brutal images and the horrible life of abused animals. They both have their different strategies and I want to see how well they work.

Important: The opinion about these topics is not relevant in this context – it is just about how different strategies are used and how they work.

My alternative topics would be the color blue or streetsigns and typo/adverts in traffic.