From coastal wetlands to alpine wilderness, Europe’s most pristine habitats and their species are protected as Natura 2000 sites. They are looked after by committed conservationists, many of whom are volunteers. While their work is crucial for conserving unique landscapes, most of what they do never reaches the public’s attention. Arctik’s resourceful strategy to communicate the Natura 2000 Award changed that.
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Arctik’s strategy combined the core elements of a conversion and a brand awareness campaign to raise the visibility of the Award among Natura 2000 site managers and the public. This approach tapped into a growing consciousness for the environment and increased the awareness of the public for the award but also the EU’s nature and biodiversity policies at large. At the same time, the campaign motivated conservationists to apply and improved the level of familiarity with the Award among them. The communication strategy was completed with targeted dissemination activities to engage relevant multipliers across Europe for a bigger reach.
The apex of the Natura 2000 Award campaign is a high-profile awards ceremony, designed to shine a spotlight on the finalists’ contribution to Europe’s environment. Arctik was tasked with bringing the event from the page to the stage: from initial concept through to on-the-day logistics, we organised a fully hybrid awards show online and on-site at the EU Commission’s Berlaymont HQ in Brussels.
In addition to honouring the five category winners, the ceremony revealed the winner of the coveted Citizens’ Award, presented to the Natura finalist selected as the public favourite in an online poll. Arctik was behind the successful campaign to ‘get the vote out’, as European citizens clicked in their thousands to help their favourite project clinch the title. This ensured the impact of the ceremony reverberated far beyond the day itself, boosting awareness and appreciation among the EU public for the incredible natural resource their doorstep: the network of Natura 2000 sites across Europe.