making it last

Fish and wildlife agencies play a critical role in taking care of wildlife and natural resources. One of the greatest challenges facing state agencies is the perception that they are relevant and important only to hunters and anglers. However, the work of these agencies affects far more than just hunters and anglers – including the growing number of wildlife watchers and those who value healthy, sustainable habitats for animals. The job of building credibility and appreciation for the work that agencies do is no small task. Time and effort spent expanding the footprint of support for each state’s agency is essential to its continued success and the state’s outdoor heritage. Research shows:

• A lack of awareness of the agency responsible for doing the work
• The perception that agencies are relevant only to hunters and anglers

Making It Last is an opportunity for each state agency to significantly increase awareness of its role in protecting and conserving wildlife among target audiences. This campaign toolkit makes specific recommendations on how states can approach and implement this effort using both nonpaid and paid media and includes a flexible creative approach, allowing states to use their own imagery and messaging relevant to specific goals.

• Connect agency work to the target audience’s (or audiences’) shared values and day-to-day lives
• Increase awareness of the agency’s role in caring for and managing wildlife and habitats
• Build understanding of the value and importance of wildlife, fish and natural resources

Making It Last is a unified creative approach with specific audience segmentation and a scalable implementation plan that will:

• Send a consistent message in order to sustain a national effort and/or maximize multistate efforts for the greatest impact
• Fulfill the need for a specific agency relevancy effort that is distinctly different from other ongoing campaigns with separate goals and objectives (such as R3) while still being able to connect with similar audiences if needed
• Debunk misconceptions about who is doing this important work (e.g., wildlife takes care of itself, the federal government is doing all the work out west)
• Include guidance for budget levels for tactics ranging from broadly visible brand (outdoor, Pandora), engagement (social, Facebook), highly targeted (partnership, content marketing) and more

The result of a campaign such as Making It Last is greater awareness and appreciation for the work that fish and wildlife agencies do to care for wildlife, fish and natural resources and ensure they are here for generations to come.