A bold movement to influence UK political commitments to rewilding
Rewilding Britain sought to influence the UK’s main political parties to make bold commitments to rewilding in their general election manifestos. Their goal was to drive public support for ensuring that 30% of land and sea are restored to nature by 2030. Magpie was tasked with creating a compelling campaign that mobilised public action through a petition and producing collateral for the Restore Nature Now march.
We developed a high-impact digital strategy designed to increase petition sign-ups and amplify rewilding as a core issue in the election discourse. By leveraging engaging creative assets and optimised ad targeting, the campaign not only built momentum but also strengthened Rewilding Britain’s position as a leading voice for nature restoration in the UK.
Date
June - July 2024
Client
Rewilding Britain
Scope of work
- Creative messaging and copywriting
- Digital Engagement
- Research and analysis
Our strategy: How we drove petition sign-ups
Our approach was insight-driven and audience-focused, ensuring that campaign messaging resonated with key demographics while also expanding Rewilding Britain’s supporter base. A key objective was to reach new audiences, which shaped our paid media strategy:
- Digital advertising & targeting: We ran a multi-platform ad campaign across Meta (Facebook, Instagram) and Google Ads. Our data-driven digital strategy ensured the campaign reached new, high-potential audiences interested in environmental issues, driving petition sign-ups and engagement.
- Precision targeting: Meta retargeting and lookalike audiences re-engaged past supporters, while interest-based targeting on Meta and Google helped us connect with people passionate about climate action, biodiversity, and conservation.
- Search intent optimisation: Google Ads placed the campaign in front of users who were actively searching for rewilding and conservation topics, bringing in motivated new supporters.
- Multi-platform approach: Combining Meta Ads, Google Search, and Display Ads maximised reach across key digital touchpoints.
- Performance tracking: Real-time conversion tracking allowed us to identify which audience segments were most responsive, refining our targeting in real time to optimise petition sign-ups.
Message & Campaign Development
We developed campaign messaging based on behavioural diagnosis and COM-B that helped us to develop key strategies and messages to drive action. We crafted compelling campaign messaging under the banner #Rewild30by2030, with clear call-to-actions such as “Sign the petition” and “Act now”, ensuring accessibility and ease of participation.
Impactful Visual Storytelling
Our creative strategy focused on inspiring collective action, using visuals that showcased the positive impact of rewilding, including thriving wildlife and restored natural habitats.
Restore Nature Now March Collateral
A key campaign element was creating impactful collateral for the Restore Nature Now march in London. We designed placards, species illustrations, stickers, banners, selfie frames, body stencils, and more to ensure the message stood out. In collaboration with Leeds Refugee Forum, we created a giant white-tailed eagle that became a central feature of the march, even catching the attention of ITV News. We also produced film content and vox pop footage to amplify the event and extend its reach online and offline.
TESTIMONIAL
“Working with Magpie has been a transformative experience. Their creativity, collaboration, and deep understanding of community needs have driven real social value, inspiring lasting positive change in areas that matter most—health, equality, and the wellbeing of people and the planet.”
Campaign impact
Driving meaningful action for nature restoration
The campaign successfully mobilised public support for rewilding, driving thousands of petition signatures and direct political engagement. Through a highly targeted digital strategy, we reached new audiences, generated significant advocacy actions, and secured widespread visibility – including national TV coverage. These results reinforced Rewilding Britain’s influence in shaping political discourse and public commitment to nature restoration.
18,700
Petition signatures. Over 1,138 petition signatures were generated directly through digital ads reaching new audiences for Rewilding Britain.
3,000+
More than 3,000 people emailed their newly elected local parliamentary representative after the election.
2.2 million
Over 2.2 million impressions across Meta and Google Ads.
National TV coverage
The campaign gained national media attention, with coverage on Channel 4 News and ITV News (Clip at 1min 50sec), highlighting the growing public demand for rewilding.
Testimonial
“In May 2024, we began working with Magpie, aiming to leverage the general election as a pivotal moment for the rewilding movement. Magpie understood our mission from the outset, working alongside us to drive strong commitments from political leaders and inspire a surge of public support. Their expertise and agility turned the unexpected election timeline into a momentum-building opportunity.”
Get in touch!
Contact us if you would like to talk about our work in behaviour change campaigns and environmental advocacy in more detail.
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