We have a head start on Greenpeace briefs thanks to Weapons of Reason, but we don't make assumptions
We can’t just outline a problem – we need to talk about issues in terms that make sense to our audience.
So, our first step is always to find out more about the people we’re trying to reach. What drives them, and how do we communicate the information that matters, at just the right time?
Weapons of Reason’s launch issue focused on the Arctic, a barometer for our changing planet.
Understanding who you’re talking to sparks effective creative work
Our projects for Greenpeace have needed different formats – from fundraising drives, to campaigns like Just Tuna, or a global brand identity for People vs Oil. But each time, the audience comes first.
Empathising with who we want to reach helps us tailor our work, and we do this through research. Because we have a shorthand on the issues, we can use our time at the beginning of projects to workshop and understand how these issues are being viewed by the people we’re talking to.
Project focus
Just Tuna
To combat the ethical and human rights violations in the tuna fishing industry, Greenpeace needed a campaign that spoke directly to consumers.
Just Tuna was a guerilla campaign to expose the most unethical tuna brands and convince buyers to change their habits. We designed a league table showing the worst offenders, plus a toolkit for Greenpeace to make materials — like stickers tagging unethical suppliers at point-of-sale.
The campaign had 41,000 sign-ups in three days and was dubbed “the new horse meat” scandal by the press. Thai Union — the world’s largest tuna company — subsequently agreed to change their fishing and HR practices.
It’s going really well with over 87,000 people joining the campaign for sustainable and ethical tuna. HAA created a versatile, vibrant asset package that catered to all of our needs and really brought the campaign to life.
Project focus
People vs. Oil
We were asked to help Greenpeace unify their campaigning work against the oil industry, under one global brand.
Greenpeace have long been campaigning against the oil industry, and we were asked to create a brand to unify their efforts. People vs. Oil is an umbrella brand accessed via an online portal, which hosts the guidelines and core assets.
These assets are used by global Greenpeace teams. And the flexible design system allows each team to change the building blocks of “People vs. Oil” to create messaging their audience will respond to.
Project focus
Genervest
With an ethical goal of stopping climate change, the Greenpeace-supported financial services company Genervest needed a brand that reflected its values.
Genervest is a financial services company offering peer-to-peer lending, plus a foundation and support teams, all aiming to stop climate change. We were asked to build the Genervest brand, which meant creating a brand people would trust in a sector many don’t.
The brand purpose — “giving the people the power to stop climate change” — became the anchor for our work. The visuals were modern, easy to use and digitally driven, while the conversational tone of voice helps build that trust.
It was wonderful to work with HAA. Together we helped our new company emerge. We learned a lot and something beautiful was created.
Our partnership is powered by a common goal
We believe in Greenpeace’s vision of a greener, healthier and more peaceful planet. And we want to use our ability to create effective brand-led communications to support that vision.
Whatever a project asks of us, our approach is the same. We keep the brand and audience front of mind, to communicate messages that inspire action and positive change.
