public relations
Ecology Action Centre
Social Media Campaign | Waves of Change
Comprehensive Strategy
OVERVIEW
The Ecology Action Centre (EAC) is a non-profit environmental organization founded in 1971 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The organization holds a society that respects and protects nature and provides environmentally and economically sustainable solutions for its citizens. EAC members, volunteers, and staff believe that the environment is tied to the well-being of society and aims to engage the public in dialogue for environmental improvement.
The purpose of the EAC is to provide up-to-date environmental information, pursue researched solutions, and act as a watchdog for the environment.
While the EAC’s usual focus is solely on Nova Scotia’s environment, the ocean’s pollution has a crucial impact on the Maritimes as a whole. Therefore, this campaign will include New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island as well. By Adding these two provinces, it also provides EAC with a much larger population to communicate to, giving the campaign a higher number of potential volunteers.
Environmental expert Alexandra Cousteau will be the spokesperson for the “Waves of Change” campaign over its three-month course. She is an advocate on water issues, a National Geographic Emerging Explorer and a filmmaker. Her passion, knowledge and built-in following of supporters will be a great asset to EAC’s cause.
GOAL
The goal of this campaign is to motivate the public to volunteer with cleaning up the Atlantic coastline, while raising awareness about the garbage and waste polluting our oceans.
TARGET MARKET
The campaign aims to engage residents of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, as the majority of their combined territory is bordering the Atlantic Ocean. Of these citizens, “Make a Wave of Change” will target the age groups of 15-19 and 25-34 years old. This is strategic because according to Statistics Canada, these brackets have the highest rates of volunteering within the country (91% and 89% respectively). Therefore, this campaign will have the best chance of getting volunteers between these ages.
Additionally, this form of volunteering will require physical labour while cleaning up the trash, so targeting a younger audience who are naturally more fit and active will provide a higher probability of success.
SOCIAL MEDIA AUDIT
OBJECTIVES
To help reach the goal for this campaign, two main objectives will be fulfilled:
Objective #1:
Have at least 400 citizens volunteer to clean up the coastline a minimum of one time over the course of three months, between June 8 (initial campaign announcement) and September 2 (end of campaign and clean-ups).
Objective #2:
Increase Facebook followers by 10% (approximately 1000 people) and increase Instagram followers by 5% (approximately 115 people) by end of campaign. This will expand EAC’s audience, allowing them to educate and communicate with more Maritime citizens about the harmful effects of the waste polluting the ocean.
TIMELINE
The campaign will run from June 8 until September 2 – a three-month long mission to clean up the Canadian Atlantic coastline and raise awareness about the garbage polluting our oceans. “Waves of Change” will begin on World Oceans Day, and end on Labour Day.
MEASURING SUCCESS
The success of the campaign will be measured in multiple ways using two methods.
The first method will be to evaluate how many people volunteer to clean up beaches. This will be done by keeping sign-up lists each time a beach is visited by EAC members itself. It will also be done by monitoring the Facebook and Instagram pages for when citizens do a clean-up by themselves, and then post about it while tagging EAC or using the hashtag #WavesOfChange.
The second method will be to use Hootsuite Social Media Manager. This is an online program used to manage and measure multiple social media accounts at one time. Ecology Action Centre will use the analytics to measure traffic to the EAC Facebook page, Instagram page and YouTube page during the course of the campaign. It will also be used to track mentions of the #WavesOfChange and any mentions of EAC’s official profiles in public posts.
Social Media Strategy
All Facebook content will be branded with the tag #WavesofChange. The focus of the Facebook campaign will be education and awareness. Informative material will be posted for the followers to learn about why we need to clean up the ocean, such as facts and articles. Updates on the EAC’s volunteering/clean-up events will also be posted throughout the summer, so that the public can stay engaged and active.
Facebook is a great tool when trying to bring a community together because of the feedback channel of likes, comments and shares. The platform makes it easy to have a conversation.
*Note: The Facebook Live Q&A session mentioned in Facebook Post #2 with Alexandra Cousteau will be done using the Q&A Sheet attached in this portfolio.
All Instagram content will be branded with the tags #WavesofChange and #EcologyAction. The focus of the Instagram campaign will be producing quality photography of the innocent marine life effected by garbage – for example, a turtle caught in fishing net, a seal tangled in rope, and a large plastic bag wound around a sea bird. People are more inspired by stories about the impacts on specific animals and particular places, rather than facts and figures. So by making these photos the focus, a stronger emotional connection will be formed with the public, motivating them to want to take action.
These pictures are heartbreaking and will have a strong impact on followers.
YOUTUBE
YouTube reaches more 18-34 year-olds than any cable network in the U.S., making this the perfect platform for the “Waves of Change” campaign, as the age groups of 15-19 and 25-34 are being targeted. YouTube videos are a great tool for natural campaigns such as this one, because it will provide the opportunity to visually show the public how beautiful our ocean is and the marine life in it, but also the devastating effects the garbage/waste is having on them. Music has a powerful impact on people’s viewing and perception, so a video with footage and a soundtrack will allow EAC to add an emotional aspect to our story.
In addition to the scenery footage and music, the video will also contain a voice-over of Alexandra Cousteau speaking about the ocean’s pollution and the damage that plastic is doing to marine life. As a globally recognized advocate on water issues and the granddaughter of French explorer and filmmaker Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Alexandra brings a voice of expertise and passion to the campaign.
This video has the intention of acting as a conclusion for the Waves of Change campaign. As the spokesperson, Alexandra wraps the project up with the realistic message that there is still a lot of work to be done; however, this campaign has been a great step in the right direction, adding an optimistic tone to her words.
Facebook Posts
Facebook Post #1
Caption: Happy World Oceans Day! Our EAC family has some exciting news… This summer we will be launching a campaign to travel around Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and PEI in search of the Maritimes’ most littered beaches. The dirtier the better, because we are on a mission to clean up the Atlantic coastline! So if you know of a beach that needs some tidying, send us a picture and location and we’ll do our best to get there! #WavesOfChange
Facebook Post #2
Caption: Join us tomorrow at 6pm when we go live with Alexandra Cousteau - She’ll be answering all your burning questions about the pollution in our oceans and its deadly effects on marine life. Sea you there! #WavesOfChange
June 8, 2019
(World Oceans Day)
Post Facebook announcement about new campaign
Publish Social Media Release; begin location search for clean-ups
June 22, 2019
July 5, 2019
July 14, 2019
July 30, 2019
August 15, 2019
August 30, 2019
September 2, 2019
Promote campaign with first Instagram post
Announce Facebook Live Q&A with Alexandra Cousteau
Promote campaign with second Instagram post
Promote campaign with third Instagram post
Promote campaign with third Facebook post
Share National Geographic article on Facebook
(4th post) - Promote awareness about ocean pollution
Post YouTube video to celebrate end of campaign
Brooke Lunney
Public Relations Professional
Strategic Public Relations Writing
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@EcologyActionCentre
@ecologyaction
EcologyAction
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Facebook Post #3
Caption: Does your local beach need cleaning? Let us know! We are travelling all over the Maritimes this summer on a mission to clean up the Atlantic coastline. Message us or comment below your province and town, contact information and a picture of your local beach showing us why it needs some TLC💙#WavesOfChange
Facebook Post #4
Share the National Geographic article “For Animals, Plastic Is Turning the Ocean Into a Minefield”, by Natasha Daly. (see references attached at end of portfolio)
Instagram Posts
Instagram Post #1
Caption: It’s ocean cleaning sea-son! Help us take care of the mess we have all made by volunteering with EAC this summer and tidying-up our Maritime coastline #WavesOfChange #EcologyAction
Instagram Post #2
Caption: They don’t deserve this. Help us fix what we have all caused. Volunteer with EAC today. #WavesOfChange #EcologyAction
(*Note – post in order of turtle, brown seal stuck in string, grey seal wrapped in red material.)
Instagram Post #3
Caption: Over 700 species of marine animals have been reported to have eaten or become entangled in plastic. Help us change this by cleaning up our Maritime beaches with EAC this summer. #WavesOfChange #EcologyAction
(*Note – post in order of bird, turtle.)
YouTube Video Script
Black screen
Music fades in
Shot of Alexandra sitting on a rock and facing camera fades in
Alexandra: Hi, my name is Alexandra Cousteau, and this summer I have been working with the Ecology Action Centre to help clean up the Atlantic coastline. In the past three months, we have been travelling all over the Maritime provinces of Canada to eliminate the litter and pollution that is destroying our blue planet.
At this very moment, over 5 trillion pieces of plastic are littering the ocean. Doing nothing is not an option - we must work together to fix what we have broken.
We have a long way to go … but after the successful Waves of Change campaign, I’m optimistic that we can save our planet.
Panning shot of ocean as sun is setting, screen fades to black
Music fades out
Q&A
Q What is the Ecology Action Centre (EAC)?
The Ecology Action Centre is a not-for-profit environmental organization that respects and protects nature and provides environmentally and economically sustainable solutions for its citizens. EAC members, volunteers, and staff believe that the environment is tied to the well-being of society and aims to engage the public in dialogue for environmental improvement.
The purpose of the EAC is to provide up-to-date environmental information, pursue researched solutions, and act as a watchdog for the environment.
Q Why is Alexandra Cousteau the spokesperson for this campaign?
Alexandra Cousteau is an environmental expert and globally recognized advocate on water issues. She strives to protect not only the ocean and marine life, but the human communities that rely on freshwater resources as well. She is a Senior Advisor to Oceana, the largest international advocacy organization dedicated solely on ocean conservation, and a National Geographic Emerging Explorer.
Alexandra has taken her mission all around the world. She has been a key consultor to major political figures, including Prime Minister Trudeau at the 2018 G7 Summit. Her passion, knowledge and experience make her an incredible asset to this campaign.
Q How much plastic is in the ocean?
A recent study examined plastics pouring into the ocean from the world’s rivers and estimated that 1.15-2.41 million tons of plastic enter the ocean per year.
Q What are the long-term effects of plastic pollution in the oceans?
Plastic is a persistent material that can take up to 600 years to decompose. It can have a physical impact on marine life from entanglement or ingestion. Even when a plastic bag is swallowed by an animal, it remains until the body decomposes, and then will be freed back into the environment to continue doing harm.
Plastic pollution is also harmful to human health. Once in the water, the material can absorb dangerous hormone-disrupting chemicals, which have been known to stimulate illnesses like breast cancer cells. These chemicals are absorbed by marine life, which we then consume when eating fish and other aquatic animals.
Furthermore, plastic pollution can cause damage to fisheries, shipping and tourism, and can transport invasive species from polluted rivers into the ocean.
Q How can I help prevent plastic pollution?
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Organize beach, riverbanks or land cleanups
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Reduce your use of disposable and single-use plastics
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Make sure you dispose of trash properly
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Reuse and recycle whenever possible
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Use material bags instead of single-use plastic ones when shopping
Q Where can I volunteer to help EAC with a beach clean-up?
Go to our website https://ecologyaction.ca and click on the drop-down menu “Get Involved”. You will find information on current opportunities to volunteer. Information is also available on our Facebook page @EcologyActionCentre.
If you didn't find the answer you needed, email us at info@ecologyactioncentre.ca.
Social Media Release
Ecology Action Centre Launches Ocean Clean-Up Campaign
View references here.
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Ecology Action Centre (EAC) announced on World Oceans Day they will be heading a mission to clean up the Atlantic coastline during the summer months of 2019.
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The campaign, titled Waves of Change, will see EAC travelling around the Maritime provinces to clean up beaches lining the Atlantic coast as means of diminishing the levels of pollution in the oceans.
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The goal of the campaign is to get volunteers involved and posting results online to help raise more awareness about how much danger the sea is in.
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There are currently over 5 trillion pieces of plastic littering the ocean, harming our planet and the marine life that lives within it.
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Environmental expert Alexandra Cousteau will be the spokesperson for the Waves of Change campaign. She is an advocate on water issues and a National Geographic Emerging Explorer.
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For more information on the Waves of Change campaign, visit the Ecology Action Centre website.
"As Atlantic Canadians, we are very proud of the strong maritime cultural heritage. It's imperative that we take the responsibility to care for the ocean as it cares for us."
Candace Stevenson, Co-Chair, Ecology Action Centre.
"Water is our most precious and interconnected natural resource. It sustains all ecosystems, communities, and economies from local watersheds to the seas. It's vital to sustaining our health, safety, and the environments in which we live and work. Simply put, water is life."
Alexandra Cousteau, Waves of Change Spokesperson.