Wildlife 2000 Finding new audiences for biodiversity, by Ruth Hayhurst

 
1 Introduction
WILDLIFE 2000 was a one-year pilot scheme in south west London which succeeded in involving new groups of people in biodiversity through organising and promoting a programme of innovative events. It was a partnership of six London boroughs: Hounslow, Kingston, Merton, Richmond, Sutton and Wandsworth, the London Wildlife Trust and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. It was funded mainly by the boroughs and a Millennium Commission lottery grant (Millennium Festival scheme).
 
2 The WILDLIFE 2000 approach
WILDLIFE 2000 was divided into seven main projects. Each project interpreted the idea of biodiversity through a different medium: dance, sculpture, painting, gardening, story-telling, poetry or photography. Each project comprised a series of events that aimed to raise awareness of local biodiversity among new audiences. The longer-term aim was to encourage people who had taken part in WILDLIFE 2000 events to get involved in the local biodiversity action plan process.

In planning each event, WILDLIFE 2000 decided:
• What message did we want people to take away at the end of the event
• Who was the event for
• How could we remove any barriers between the event and the target audience
• How should we best market the event

2.1 The message
The overriding message we wanted people to remember was:
The great variety of living things in south west London enhances our lives and is worth celebrating. We can all do something … however small … to protect and improve this variety of life for the next millennium.

2.2 The target audiences
WILDLIFE 2000 identified the following target audiences:
• Ethnic minority groups
• Families
• Gardeners
• Members of local societies
• Middle-aged people with no children
• People with disabilities or special needs
• Recently retired
• Young people (12-25 year olds)

We wanted to reach these target groups for a variety of reasons:
Target Group
Reason
Gardeners
They could easily do something tangible to benefit biodiversity
Young people, ethnic minority groups and people with disabilities
They had been under-represented at wildlife sites and events
Recently retired and middle aged people with no children
They may have enough time and money to get involved in promoting biodiversity. They may also have useful skills.
Members of local societies
They already supported the ideal of community effort, which may make them more willing to work collectively for biodiversity. They may also have useful skills.
Families
They were consumers of activities at which it was relatively easy to get across a biodiversity message.
Most of the main projects comprised several events targeted at different audiences. For example, the photography project included separate workshops tailored for teenagers, local photographic societies, families and people with disabilities.

2.3 Removing barriers
Barriers between the target audience and the events could be physical, cultural or intellectual. They may also include inappropriate timing, transport problems, perceived lack of relevance or shortage of time. WILDLIFE 2000 aimed to remove some of these barriers by introducing the idea of biodiversity using a setting or media with which the target audience was comfortable. Points 2.3.1-2.3.4 illustrate how we used these techniques.

2.3.1 Choosing venues already used by the target audience
We ran young people's photography workshops at local sports centres; wildlife-themed sculpture sessions for families at an annual country fair; and a wildlife gardening show case at a spot on Wandsworth Common popular locally with recently retired and middle-aged people.

2.3.2 Working with partners already trusted by a target audience
We worked with a group of African students and their tutor to make wildlife sculptures that were later included in an exhibition. Other examples included: wildlife-themed story times at libraries that were already attracting large numbers of Asian and African families; and photography and painting workshops for people with disabilities organised with Age Concern and mental health charities.

2.3.3 Using a topic that already interested the target audience
As part of the gardening project, we ran wildlife gardening competitions and demonstrations throughout south west London designed to appeal to people already interested in gardening. We also organised wildlife-themed creative writing and photography workshops targeted at local poetry and photography societies.

2.3.4 Using a method that already appealed to the target audience
We used lectures and field visits to deliver the biodiversity message to photography societies because we knew they were familiar with these methods. Similarly, we used formal dance workshops in schools because students were comfortable with this approach. We were also aware that people would want to take part in events in different ways. In planning events, we made sure that we took this in account and offered a range of opportunities. For example, in the photography project, people had the chance to look at an exhibition of wildlife photos, find out more at a photography workshop or develop their skills further by entering a competition.

2.4 Marketing for the target audience
WILDLIFE 2000 used the following marketing techniques: web sites, posters, fliers, mailing lists, exhibitions, newsletters, mascot; banners, badges and stickers, press releases, radio and TV interviews. For each event, we varied the techniques, depending on the target audience. For example, we posted fliers door-door to attract local residents to a wildlife gardening demonstration while for a poetry workshop, we worked with local societies to distribute material.
 
3 Achievements of WILDLIFE 2000
During the year, WILDLIFE 2000:
• Organised and promoted 186 events, attended by nearly 22,000 people
• Promoted another 380 events organised by 37 different groups
• Produced and distributed 62,000 copies of an events diary
• Established a mailing list of nearly 1,500 names
• Organised an exhibition of wildlife photos taken by local people that visited 7 venues and was seen by around 3,000 people
• Organised a two-week exhibition of wildlife sculptures made by local artists and visited by 900 people
• Worked with 77 different partners
• Increased attendance at events run by 11 different local wildlife groups
• At WILDLIFE 2000 events people were invited to fill in an evaluation questionnaire. Of those who did, 70% said they were attending a wildlife event for the first time and 71% asked to receive information about how they could help local wildlife.

4 Lessons learned
WILDLIFE 2000 learned many lessons, often the hard way, about building audiences, running events and marketing. Here are some of them.

4.1 Building a new audience
Be clear about your objectives and target audience. This is essential in deciding what you do, where, when and how.
Take your events to your audience. This is one of the most effective ways of overcoming barriers between your target audience and your event.
Work in partnership. This can give you credibility among your target audience and access to: mailing lists, skilled and experienced supporters, marketing opportunities, good venues, equipment, special expertise, materials and funding.
Think about your audience's needs. To most people, Physiological Needs come first (Are there toilets, food and drink?); Emotional Needs come second (Is the venue friendly? Are the people approachable?); and Intellectual Needs come third (Is the subject interesting to me?). A cup of tea and a smile can work wonders in getting across your message at a workshop.
Be prepared to be patient and realistic. Reaching some audiences may take a lot of time and effort. You may never get to some of the people you want to target.

4.2 Event organising
Match your objectives to your resources. WILDLIFE 2000 discovered that running a professional events programme is costly and very hard work. Be realistic about what you can achieve with the resources (money, staff, time and materials) you have.
Get the basics right. Ensure that you have the following: the permission you need; enough of help of the right kind; enough time and money; an accessible venue; acceptable risk assessment; appropriate promotion and signing; a contingency plan for wet weather; a tool kit with essential spare equipment. In a partnership, ensure that the responsibilities are defined and agreed.
Focus on families. WILDLIFE 2000 proved there was huge demand for environmental events for families and, during the school holidays, for children.
Have hobby, will travel. People were prepared to travel at least 10 miles to take part in some WILDLIFE 2000 events. This suggests that boroughs and organisations within a London region could co-operate in future, sharing costs of delivery and promotion.

4.3 Marketing
Target your marketing. There is no such thing as the general public. WILDLIFE 2000 found that the more specifically we targeted our marketing material, the more successful it was.
Be prepared to put in a lot of effort. Much marketing was time-consuming, hard work and boring … but essential. The WILDLIFE 2000 sculpture competition, for example, required five separate mailings to local schools, colleges and youth groups to ensure we got enough entries.
Distribution … the weakest link. Marketing is only as good as the distribution system you use. The WILDLIFE 2000 system generally worked well but sometimes outlets ran out of event diaries without telling us or never received them. Monitoring is crucial.
Get a good logo. The WILDLIFE 2000 logo was successful because it was simple, worked in colour and black/white, worked big and small and was memorable.
Make a mascot. They attract media and public interest, break the ice and give people a reason to talk to you. Design a mascot to attract children, make sure it is machine-washable, allows the wearer to have hands and feet free, has a hat to go with it, is cuddly and suitable for hot and cold weather.
Push your product hard. At promotional events: give material to whoever will take it; don't stand or (worse) sit behind a desk; don't try to run a stall single-handed; always have a form to collect names for a mailing list; design activities in a way that helps collect any information you want.
Mind your language. Keep it short, simple, personal and direct.
Be big, bold and beautiful. Make your material attractive, professional, simple and organised.
Get on-line. Websites are an effective way of delivering information. The best are quick to load, easy to navigate and find, easy to update, linked to lots of other sites and well-placed on the search engines. You don't need a professional designer and they don't need to be expensive.

For more details about WILDLIFE 2000
email Ruth Hayhurst at [email protected]

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