Building awareness
Make your data more accessible and engagingStorytelling should transform dry statistics into a compelling and complete narrative, so that all products truly reflect your purpose, mission and vision.
Case study 1 – Zoï Environment Programme
Zoï takes its name from the Greek word for ‘life’. Created in 2010, this small, Geneva-based NGO tackles the most complex environmental challenges of our time, such as climate change, water supply and biodiversity. It provides expert analysis of information already in the public domain and communicates this analysis in innovative ways. Zoï’s services were in such demand that it soon expanded well beyond what had originally been envisaged, and after a few years much of its website had become out-of-date.
In 2017 I was asked to rewrite the entire website. As the organisation had expanded, however, it was clear that more was required than merely ‘updating’ the information. Zoï’s mandate had shifted over the seven years of its existence, and it was important to establish key messages before crafting any text. I therefore interviewed each member of staff before devising a message framework, and in turn writing the website text with a fresher focus.
The creation of the new website was the first step in an expansion of Zoï’s communications and outreach that has now seen it adopt social media as a channel for delivering its key messages. Zoï’s purpose is to create awareness for action around environmental challenges and both the enhanced website and its subsequent social media presence have made a significant contribution to this. The organisation now offers even more products and services, created for an ever-growing client base.
Case Study 2 – The Tropical Forest Alliance
The Tropical Forest Alliance is part of the World Economic Forum’s Centre for Nature and Climate. The Alliance brings together partners around the common goal of implementing solutions to tackle deforestation linked to the production of agricultural commodities. It includes more than 180 partners representing the private sector, government, civil society organisations, indigenous peoples and multilateral organisations who are committed to ensuring the sustainable production of palm oil, soy, beef, cocoa and pulp and paper.
But this path to sustainability is not clear and easy. Many different stakeholders mean competing interests and priorities, not to mention the array of solutions promoted by countless other organisations. Alongside other assignments on this topic, in 2021 I was commissioned by the Alliance to promote a success story in a blog article about sustainable wood production in the Gabon. With 90 per cent of Gabon’s land area covered by forests, the piece clearly and succinctly set out how the national government had transformed the forestry sector by establishing a special economic zone and creating over 10,000 new jobs.
This blog piece demonstrated that despite the often noisy disagreements about what works and what doesn’t, some solutions have already been tried and tested. These solutions need to be shown to be working, and by promoting this story on their website and social media platforms, the Alliance was able to rise above the clamour and show that success is always possible. By definition these solutions are realised through stakeholders working together, and reinforcing this message is as crucial as the solution itself.
