Project Forest Case Study

What We Did

Communications, Creative, Marketing, Video & Web

The Client

Project Forest is a new non-profit created by Tree Time Services as a way to unite private sector companies across Alberta in an initiative to reduce carbon and rewild Alberta. The initiative partners with local industry leaders in a collaborative effort to plant forests. Unlike similar tree-planting programs – the results from Project Forest can be seen right here in our own province.

The Project

Tree Time Services was receiving a large amount of interest around local environmental initiatives. They already offered services in Reclamation, Silviculture and Archaeology and developing a not-for-profit to fund afforestation projects was a natural fit.

Tree Time first reached out to Habit to supply the market research and strategy to see if their idea for funding new forests was even feasible and how they might implement it. There are many other tree planting organizations around the world, some of whom are funded directly by the Canadian government. Through our research, we discovered most tree planting organizations don’t plant trees themselves and they prefer to plant trees in third world countries. Tree Time was focused on developing a program that would provide a positive impact for local Alberta communities, and they had the unique expertise and proven resources to implement the program.

After helping to fully identify the opportunity, our team at Habit went to work building a brand for the program, along with a phased approach to launch the new product.

Goal

Branding

Treetime needed a name for this project. We created a name that is memorable, enduring and trustworthy, but approachable enough that audiences want to get to know the brand better. After wordsmithing multiple iterations, Project Forest emerged as the clear front runner. It has a sense of accomplishment and is uncomplicated and could withstand any future changes that could come to the program.

From the name, we began crafting a brand story using a voice and tone that got people excited about the possibility of growing an entire forest, locally. We chose a colour palette based on nature, which includes earth, air, water, fire and forest.

We also developed a logo symbolizing a tree growing from a shovel, surrounded by the carbon capture process. The result is a brand that instills confidence in people that by planting trees, we can affect real change – in our province and beyond.

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Marketing and PR Strategy

Project Forest was looking for a strategy to help guide it’s communications, marketing and partner engagement. It was important to position Project Forest clearly as a non-profit, separate from Tree Time’s business efforts and to inform and educate Albertans on the need for, and benefits of, local rewilding projects.

We developed a strategy focused on building brand awareness. We used educational inbound marketing and storytelling to share Project Forest’s expertise and the value of a partnership agreement through the website, blog and on social media. We developed a strategy that included a robust digital campaign, media relations campaign and a social media campaign.

Once the strategy was in place, it made it easy to design the collateral we needed.

Campaign Creative

Project Forest doesn’t just plant trees. They grow forests, build habitats, clean the air and rewild Alberta. While other groups focus on one tree at a time wherever they grow best, Project Forest grows forests where they will benefit the people right here in Alberta. Trees clean the air and water by removing carbon. They literally suck. And so, our campaign – Forests Suck – was born.

We ventured into the forest, and used orange smoke bombs, representing CO2, to film (in reverse) a tree sucking the hazy smoke back into itself. The result was a dramatic 30-second video with a surprise “Forests Suck” statement at the end.

Using the tongue in cheek headline, we produced a series of social media graphics and display ads to generate leads for Project Forest’s first forest that needed funding – Golden Ranches.

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Website

Project Forest needed an online platform where potential forest-funders could go to find out the who, what and why of funding an entire forest. We designed a website that shared valuable forest facts, the process of funding a forest, and how businesses could get involved and fund forests right here in Alberta. A variety of forest themed illustrations were created on birchwood backgrounds, further supporting our forest theme, along with an interactive map that will eventually house all of the forest projects in the works.

Visit their ever changing website here.

Media Event

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The Results

We are honoured to have won several awards for our work with Project Forest.

Summit Awards 2021

Forests Suck – BEST OF SHOW, Integrated Campaign – Not-for-profit
Forests Suck – GOLD for Not-for-profit video

Ace Awards 2021

Forests Suck – Not for profit campaign – Ace of distinction
Project Forest – Not for profit logo – Ace of distinction
Forests Suck – Not for profit social media advertising single – Ace of distinction
Forests Suck – Not for profit website under $50K – Ace of distinction

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Communications

Creative

Marketing

Video

Web