Save Our Species S.O.S

S.O.S. - Save Our Species

Welcome to the home page for S.O.S. This campaign really is a breakthrough for the Foundation. Not only does it highlight the role that the Foundation can play is bringing corporate New Zealand together but it also shows that, with perseverance, conservation gains can be achieved.

The formal launch for the Save our Species campaign was on 9 February, 2007. The launch was held at the Lake House situated in the private grounds of Lady Diana Isaac's home adjacent to Peacock Springs Wildlife Centre. Lady Isaac is a primary figure in private conservation and the breeding of iconic species in New Zealand.

The Hon Chris Carter, Minister of Conservation officiated and bird and bug man Ruud Kleinpaste was the MC.

From Monday 12 February Save our Species cards will be for sale throughout New World stores in the South Island. The SOS cards will also be available with an honesty box at Air New Zealand Koru Cub lounges in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin.

Background

Air New Zealand

The initial thinking for the concept of a $2.00 bite size donation card that is purchased at a retail checkout came from Steve Bayliss, General Manager, Marketing for Air New Zealand.

Steve had been scanning the internet for innovative marketing ideas and believed that this was exactly what could help the Foundation to build its income stream. The hard part of course was translating and building the concept to meet the New Zealand marketplace. Initial discussions with large retail operations were met with significant concerns around the margins each outlet would want for releasing their valuable counter space"

This immediately put a dampener on what initially had seemed to be a very sound environmental business alignment.

New World South Island

However moving from petrol to the fast moving consumer goods sector proved to be the answer. New World South Island were a very willing partner as, being NZ owned and operated they understood the significance of saving species and more importantly the owners themselves wanted to participate and any sort of margin was not part of the discussion. This was the breakthrough that was needed.

From this point working through the nature and scope of the relationship and partnerships between the Foundation, Air New Zealand and New World, with ongoing support form DOC, was straightforward.

Gibson Rusden

Another aspect revolved around the branding of the campaign. Save our Species - S.O.S. - was largely executive director Jane Arnott's idea and derives its appeal from its association with "save our souls", the distress call of many facing disaster, death or in this case extinction! Foundation sponsor Neil Rusden from Gibson Rusden transformed the name S.O.S. into a campaign brand, the SOS birds were selected and with DOC's help images chosen.

The SOS card design work was broadened to include a free poster that provided children in particular with a reason to collect all 6 cards in the series. Finally a merchandiser was designed with the skill of a experienced packaging expert from Pak World a family run business in Christchurch.

SOS Summary

Save our Species S.O..S. is a joint conservation fundraising initiative which will launch in the South Island on February 12, 2007.

The concept has been brought to fruition by the efforts of the New Zealand National Parks and Conservation Foundation.

It represents a number of firsts: 

• the first time bound public conservation fundraising campaign in NZ
• the first time 2 x New Zealand heavyweight companies Air New Zealand and New World South Island have partnered in the interests of conservation - saving species
• the first time this method of fundraising, purchase of bite sized collectible donation cards at point of sale, has been applied to the New Zealand.

Mechanics

$2.00 collectible S.O.S. cards that depict 6 x critically endangered native bird species are sold at point of sale in New World across the South Island

The S.O.S, cards are also in Koru lounges with an honesty box.

A free poster is available for children to apply the cards to.