CLIENT The Marine Mammal Center

TITLE "Save Our Seals. Save Ourselves."

View TV Spot

Deliverables

TV, Print, Radio, Brochures

Target

Prospective and current Marine Mammal Center donors, concerned about the environment, especially the health of the marine environment.

Challenge & Assignment

Founded in 1975, The Marine Mammal Center (TMMC), is a nonprofit organization located in the Marin Headlands. TMMC is one of the largest marine mammal facilities in the world to combine animal rehabilitation with an on-site research unit. Currently, TMMC is well known for rescue, rehabilitation, and release of marine mammals in the Bay Area although the center receives little recognition or funding for its extensive research programs.

The Center is in the process of a $32 million reconstruction of its headquarter operations in Sausalito. The new state-of-the-art center will open on June 5, 2009. To align with the launch of the new headquarters, the Center's goal is to expand the public's knowledge (locally and nationally, even internationally), about their organization and the role their research plays in understanding human interdependence with marine mammals.

The Marine Mammal Center came to Swirl as a pro bono client with a valiant cause and a limited budget. They  tasked Swirl with increasing awareness of the Center, positioning it as more than a rescue and rehabilitation center to include its scientific and educational contributions, and encouraging people to donate, become members and volunteer with the Center.

Strategy & Solution

Swirl first took a look at why people are drawn to the Center. People become involved because of the work they do with animals, but are unaware of the scientific work that comes out of working with these animals and the significant impact that the work has on all of us. We knew that in order to reach TMMC's objectives, we would have to impress upon our audience the notion of interconnectedness between humans and marine mammals.

Our shared ocean environment is essential to the health of all life. It's not just about seals. What starts with seals impacts us. The rescuing and rehabilitation of marine mammals is really important work, not only because it is the humane thing to do, but because it teaches us about our interdependence with those animals and the ocean we share with them. As our team brainstormed, we came up with a line that we loved: "Save our seals, save ourselves". And we swam with it.

On top of all this, we knew we'd need to differentiate TMMC from the numerous other environmental causes that consumers might choose to give to.  To accomplish this, we aimed for a visually arresting and unique creative campaign.

To reach our target, we recommended a combination of national and local TV, and live DJ reads encouraging consumers to visit the Center's website and to donate (each read allows the DJ to personalize the message, encouraging donations). In addition to these outlets, we were able to secure donated print placement in magazines with local and national distribution.

In order to simulate an underwater experience for print and TV in an economical fashion, Swirl shot our subjects for the print and TV pieces using a new technology called the Phantom HD Camera. Swirl photographed the characters of our print and TV pieces as they jumped on a trampoline with a high-speed video camera that shoots and stores 8-bit image data at 500 frames per second in solid-state digital memory. When juxtaposed with footage of seals playing underwater, the result was an elegant and moving undersea spot.

Swirl also created a comprehensive brochure for the Center, to be distributed to visitors, donors, and volunteers alike. The brochure, in keeping with the theme of the campaign, encourages education, donation, and volunteerism. It also includes a tear-out wallet card with instructions on what to do if you come across a beached or injured marine mammal.

Results

The TMMC campaign officially launches in early May 2009 and will run through the Center's launch in June 2009. The campaign has seen an overwhelmingly positive response from all who have seen it and we look forward to the good things that it will bring our friends, both land and sea-dwelling, at The Marine Mammal Center.

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