RSPB’s new brand reboot aims to conjure feelings of hope and urgency

One of the largest conservationist charities in the UK, The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) sees the effects of the impending threat of ecological collapse on a regular basis. And the UK is specifically situated in an increasingly worrying position, as a RSPB press release explains: “The UK is now one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, with the next ten years set to be make-or-break for nature, wildlife and the environment.”

To create a new positioning and people-led call to action – “Nature is in crisis. Together we can save it”, – the society enlisted Asha & Co, who also reworked the RSPB’s brand identity and messaging. Lovers also worked on the project, for a video-centred “bold brand reappraisal campaign”, the press release states. At the centre of the campaign is the aim to instil feelings of both hope, and urgency. “RSPB and Asha & Co felt it was crucial to offer an inclusive message of hope and encouragement, aimed at people everywhere,” while also “reconciling urgency with an inclusive, people-led call to action”.

In the brand refresh, Asha & Co has maintained the RSPB’s recognisable bird logo, albeit slightly modernised, and with a bright blue wingspan. Asha & Co has also created a film campaign, The Call. Adopting a very nature documentary, Attenborough-esq feel, the short predominantly films from above, with a meditative voiceover reinstating the importance of action. This top-down filming approach was “built to shift emphasis beyond bird protection towards ‘action for nature with a bird’s eye view’ capturing the big picture, grounded in detail”, the press release details.

“It’s been a privilege to work with the team at RSPB – an incredible organisation delivering evidence-led environmental projects that can be seen from space,” says Asha & Co’s Marksteen Adamson.“Our challenge was to help them reconnect with who they really are [...] whilst carving out a new and authentic positioning within the worldwide environmental sector.”

In a reappraisal campaign, Lovers devised the message: “There are so many ways to save nature”. The 30 second video shows people – from farmers to young children – engaged in these various methods, campaigning, cycling to work and creating conservation spaces for at-risk animals. Energetic and lively, the video deviates away from the typical communication style of conservation campaigns, and aims to engage both existing audiences, and new young audiences too.

Paul Birmingham, head of brand at RSPB says: “What we have is a campaign that emphasises action for nature needing to come from people, expressed in a way that doesn’t point any fingers or make anyone feel told off.” While Alex Ostrowski, founder and creative director at Lovers says: “There’s so much eco-anxiety right now, it’s paralysing. We felt that in order to play that ringleader card and ‘sound the horn’ we’d need to earn an emotional response of some kind, not just deliver facts. We explored urgency, humour, song, and all sorts of approaches, but in the end it was this fast-moving, energetic montage idea that worked best.”