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Audubon: Bird Friendly Communities

Setting audacious goals is how we make homes for the smallest feathered friends in our communities.

Background:

How do you tackle a goal to distribute 10,000 bird boxes in a single year? With Bird-Friendly Communities, BC/DC Ideas was given the opportunity to build a new communications program with Audubon North Carolina that did just that and so much more.
A mix of media savvy, vibrant collateral and a wallop of creativity gave the BC/DC Ideas and the Audubon North Carolina staff the ability to excite new audiences in bird conservation by bringing small, simple actions directly to North Carolina residents in their own backyards.

Our Approach

With the Bird-Friendly Communities campaign, we saw potential to engage an entirely new audience with the Audubon brand. You don’t have to be a birder, just a little bird-friendly. From traditional media relations to digital communications and local community engagement, we changed the conversation about conservation.

Conservation goals included:

  • Increase awareness of Audubon NC and its conservation impact in the state
  • Distribute and put up 10,000 Nest Boxes for Nuthatches
  • Decrease decline of the Brown-headed Nuthatch
  • Increase the number of native plants grown in NC by distributing native plant brochures and educating public on their importance

Bringing The Plan To Life

The program was wide reaching to say the least! In order to appeal to every type of audience, we created a communications strategy that broke down the idea of a bird-friendly community into categories that appealed to diverse groups. We tailored communications strategies to each type of audience with personalized messages to drive home the message that participating in one or many of these small activities will benefit our birds in a big way.

Anyone can put up a nest box or plant a native bush. Moms can take their kids on a bird walk. Residents can ask their city leaders to turn out the lights during peak migration season. Each small action taken makes one huge impact for birds and wildlife in North Carolina, and Audubon NC is spearheading the movement.

Messages

Nest Boxes for Nuthatches to provide a home for the Brown-headed Nuthatch

Native Plants to show how gardeners can support birds with food and habitat

Bird-Friendly Families to show how parents can engage kids in a love of birds and conservation

Lights Out North Carolina to protect birds during peak migration season

Tactics

The BC/DC Ideas team created a mix of multi-media and traditional tactics to reach citizens from the mountains to the coast while targeting traditionally urban areas where activities would have the greatest impact. Tactics included: