What the heck is an estuary, and why does it matter?
We helped launch a citizen-focused education campaign supporting the Pensacola & Perdido Bays Estuary Program and its efforts to restore, protect, and preserve local waterways for generations to come.
1,344
Page views in first two weeks of the campaign launch.
33,134
Social media impressions after 20 days of campaign.
144
Citizens pledged to help protect area waterways.
THE PROBLEM
A federal designation that depended on public support.
The Pensacola & Perdido Bays Estuary Program was going after Congressional designation as a Federally Designated Estuary Program, one of only 29 in the country. That would bring millions of dollars in ongoing federal funding to protect one of the Florida Panhandle’s most important coastal systems.
The science wasn’t the issue. Designation requires demonstrated community support, so the program had to show that regular people understood their estuaries, cared about them, and would act. Plenty of people in the region couldn’t have told you what an estuary is, let alone why it matters to their daily lives.
Awareness alone wouldn’t cut it. We needed people to act.
WHAT WE DID
Working alongside Hatchmark Studios, we started by narrowing the focus, which environmental campaigns rarely do. In strategy sessions with PPBEP leadership, we landed on three goals: build awareness of the program, build support among local businesses, and give citizens easy ways to get involved. Everything else could wait.
The centerpiece was Estuary101.com, a campaign hub built to turn environmental science into everyday action. Visitors can learn what an estuary is in plain language, explore local waterways through the Estuary Explorer program, take a personal pledge, or sign up as a business advocate or partner organization. People care about the water for different reasons, so we gave them different doors.
The campaign ran across social media, email, and direct outreach, with tiered pathways for individuals, businesses, and organizations, plus sponsorship options for those who wanted to go further.
"The Impact Campaigns team did a fantastic job of capturing and conveying what we wanted for our new Estuary program: Simple, everyday ways for people to get involved and make a difference. They understand how communities work, and how to motivate people to support your cause."
WHAT CHANGED
Launch-week numbers told us the campaign had cut through. But page views and impressions weren’t the number we cared about most. The pledge count was. During the launch, almost 150 people put their names behind protecting local waterways in the first three weeks. That’s the start of a constituency.
Today, Estuary101 is still an active community resource, with pathways for individuals, businesses, and organizations, an ongoing Estuary Explorer program, and a growing base of local supporters.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOUR PROGRAM
If your program needs a public constituency and not just an audience, start by making it easy for real people to see themselves in the work.
We’ve helped environmental programs translate complex science into public action. Shoot us a note and let’s figure out where your supporters are hiding
