For many of Earth’s creatures, time is running out. That’s why on Endangered Species Day, the National Geographic Society and the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA), the national trade association for the out of home (OOH) advertising industry, launched a groundbreaking OOH campaign aimed at saving species at risk in the wild. The campaign’s key message is: “See what we can #SaveTogether before it’s too late.”
Featuring stunning images from the National Geographic Photo Ark, the campaign sounds the alarm for the conservation of wildlife and their habitats. Following the digital OOH launch of the campaign in Times Square and other major U.S. cities today, the #SaveTogether campaign will continue throughout the summer on donated billboards and other OOH formats across the country.
Founded by National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore, the Photo Ark aims to document every species currently living in the world’s zoos and wildlife sanctuaries, inspire action through education, and help save wildlife by supporting on-the-ground conservation efforts. Sartore has photographed more than 6,500 species so far on his quest to create the National Geographic Photo Ark. Once completed, the Photo Ark will serve as an important record of each animal’s existence and a powerful testament to the importance of saving species.
Sartore’s breathtaking portraits inspire people to care about these animals and to take action while there’s still time to protect them. The goal of the #SaveTogether campaign is to move people to support the Photo Ark and projects working to help save species. Twenty-five animals from the Photo Ark will be featured in the OOH campaign, including the Florida panther, the Saint Vincent Amazon parrot, the Golden Snub-nosed monkey and the Malayan tiger, of which there are only an estimated 340 left in the wild. A complete list of the 25 Photo Ark animals featured in the campaign is given below.
The #SaveTogether campaign will kick off with an hour-long digital billboard takeover in Times Square. An interactive component of the campaign invites people in Times Square to visit the National Geographic photo station and take a selfie with a Photo Ark image. Visitors will then have the opportunity to see their selfies appear on a Times Square digital billboard in real time.
Meanwhile, on dozens of other Times Square billboards, video and stills of Photo Ark animals will capture attention as they move throughout and disappear from the billboards, illustrating the underlying importance of helping save these species while there’s still time. Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington, D.C. are among some of the major markets that will also participate in the Endangered Species Day launch of the #SaveTogether campaign through local activations. After May 19, the campaign will expand throughout the U.S. where Photo Ark animals will be featured on printed and digital billboards, bus shelters, airport dioramas, mall kiosks and other OOH formats. Across the county, more than 45,000 digital OOH screens will feature Photo Ark images.
#SaveTogether is the unifying message across National Geographic’s many efforts to showcase the Photo Ark project throughout 2017, including exhibitions around the world, two new books, magazine articles and digital features. A documentary series on Sartore’s work, RARE -Creatures of the Photo Ark, will also premiere on PBS in July.
Learn more and donate at PhotoArk.org and join the conversation on social media with #SaveTogether.
The #SaveTogether campaign is the latest example of the OOH industry donating time andspace for the public good. Many OAAA member companies have contributed resources to help bring the #SaveTogether campaign to the American public.
Promotional images and video available at http://bit.ly/photoark_OAAA.