Students produce conservation commercials for cinemas

Project Conserve will feature single-minded messaging that flags the critical role played by the National Zoological Gardens in conserving our natural heritage.

"The creativity applied was exceptional," says Craig Allenby, National Zoological Gardens business development manager. "The ideal was to provide an experience platform for film and visual arts students from genesis to showcase while simultaneously affording a wide audience for the zoo; an opportunity to achieve a marketing footprint otherwise out of our reach."

Nu Metro is providing the screen time with an estimated audience of several hundred thousand during the peak-flighting of the ads.

Raise awareness, generate income

Allenby says that creative solutions in marketing non-profits to the public are critical in order to raise much needed awareness and generate income. "Education and conservation awareness rank at the top of the zoo's agenda but simultaneously a commercial outcome is extremely important in order to further fund the organisation's myriad of initiatives," says Allenby.

The National Zoological Gardens in Tshwane/Pretoria attracts nearly one million visitors annually of which 35% on aggregate are learners. "Beyond our educational mandate and providing access to publics who would have otherwise never had the opportunity to experience our fauna heritage, the zoo also contributes significantly to conservation through breeding programmes and continued wildlife research."

Project Conserve answers the zoo's mandate on the silver screen. "Open Window students were briefed on our core messages and had a three-month period wherein to interpret, create, produce and film their advertisements. The results are exceptional with strong, emotive on-screen experiences bound to influence, inspire and mobilise," says Allenby.

The Project Conserve commercials will be screened at Nu Metro theatres, predominantly in Gauteng, during July.