WWF prescribes 'daily dose of nature' in UK campaign

There's nothing I like more than getting my daily dose of nature.

Whether I’m doing a loop of my neighbourhood park or going for a 6-hour tramp through the bush, getting outside always makes me feel good.

So the new WWF 'A Prescription for Nature' campaign is so speaking my language.

As if I needed another reason to escape technology, WWF is putting forward another epic motivator: it's good for mental health.

According to evidence outlined on the WWF website, spending just 20 minutes in nature has huge benefits for our mental health.

It lifts our mood and reduces stress and anxiety.

I believe it.

This statistic is a key part of their campaign, communicated via a video advertisement and beautiful nature imagery, overlaid with small prescription labels.

Both of these advertising methods juxtapose the stark, clinical feeling of mainstream healthcare (and its 'indoors-ness') with the calm beauty of the natural world.

In the video, which starts in a doctor’s consulting room, celebrity Dr. Sara Kayat gives us our daily dose of nature prescription, talking us through the mental health crisis the UK is facing and the benefits of being outdoors.

We then move out of the consulting room through a peaceful lakeside view, birds calling and bees buzzing around us.

The campaign’s posters (used as out-of-home advertisements) paste white, eye-catching prescription labels atop scenes of nature—rainbows, lakes, and fields of wildflowers.

The message is simple—take your medicine, get outside.

But why is the WWF-UK charity doing this campaign in the first place?

WFF is a leading global charity focused on protecting wildlife and their habitats. With an admirable overarching mission of "bringing our world back to life".

So, instead of simply telling us to value nature, they're giving us a clear call-to-action that will (hopefully) lead us to discovering for ourselves why nature is so important.

As explained by Executive Director of Brand, Campaigns and Communications at WWF, Lisa Lee, stated:

‘Through this campaign we want to remind people that nature can help restore us too... If we can encourage everyone to connect with nature, we can also drive support for our efforts to protect it and make the changes needed to help bring our world back to life.’

So, what can we learn from WWF’s campaign (besides the fact that we could all use more time outdoors)?

Align with a topic that's timely but relevant to your brand. 

For WFF, the topic is mental health and general wellness. It's something a huge audience can relate to, made all the more topical through their direct mention of the UK mental health crisis.

Have a clear takeaway for your audience.

The WWF campaign works because, simply, we know what to do! Their message is clear: get outside for 20 minutes to improve your mental health (consider it done, btw). You can do this too by building in a simple call to action into your campaign.

Choose the right advocate. 

By pairing up with celebrity doctor Sara Kayat, WWF builds strong credibility. Their message, backed by scientific evidence, seems all the more believable and important. So, when bringing a public personality or advocate into your strategy, make sure they are someone who will connect with your audience while aligning with your purpose.

With that, I'm off to go watch the kingfishers catch insects down at the local mudflats.

I hope you're headed out somewhere peaceful, too.

-Maggie, Writer