When you think of wilderness, the words “product,” “media campaign,” and “branding” generally don’t come to mind. But the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) is taking their message to a whole new level in order to futher their efforts to protect Utah’s landscape.
This week, SUWA unveiled a huge media campaign aimed to educate Utah’s residents about the value of wilderness in our state. They set up a new website (www.utahwilderness.org), shot and produced TV commericals, and created advertising for the web, billboards, and print media.
The goal? Arguably, the land is Utah’s greatest asset. And if you’re an avid outdoor recreationist in this state, chances are you’d agree. So if you think of the wilderness as a product, it really makes sense. Tourism is one of Utah’s biggest industries, and people travel to Utah from all over the world to take in the sweeping vistas of Southern Utah’s red rock country.
But SUWA’s new media blitz seems to be about more than just promoting wilderness. It seems to also be promoting an ideal; that wilderness should be protected, since it’s as much a part of our state’s heritage as it’s people and industry.
SUWA says they will spend over $2 million during the next four or five years as part of an effort to designate 9 million acres in Utah as wilderness.
You can read SUWA’s entire press release below:
Salt Lake City, UT – Sneakers, cars, and even politicians all use advertising to keep a “product” at the tip of a consumer’s tongue. But never before has a wilderness advocacy organization attempted an ambitious branding effort on behalf of the landscapes it seeks to protect.
On Monday, the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) broke new ground, launching a sustained, multi-year media campaign in Utah — to capitalize upon a growing shift in public opinion about wilderness in our state, and to educate Utah residents about wilderness as an issue and as a valuable part of our state’s heritage.
Featuring a new campaign website — http://www.utahwilderness.org — and relying heavily on broadcast and cable television spots and online ads throughout Utah, as well as and outdoor advertising in the Salt Lake City metro area, the campaign aims to elevate the discussion and build greater support for permanently protecting Utah’s wilderness heritage. (To see the first campaign spots, visit http://www.utahwilderness.org/media.)
The media campaign builds upon a dramatic shift in public opinion among ordinary Utahns. In 1989, when Utah Congressman Wayne Owens first introduced his bill for 5.1 million acres of BLM wilderness in Utah, 80 percent of Utahns who had an opinion opposed it. Today, 60 percent of Utahns who’ve made up their minds on the issue support 9 million acres or more of Utah BLM wilderness.
“Many Utah families already enjoy spending time in our state’s proposed wilderness areas,” said Scott Groene, SUWA’s Executive Director. “They hike, camp, hunt and fish in the areas that deserve wilderness protection. This media campaign will build public awareness and understanding of Utah’s proposed wilderness areas, their accessibility to the general public, and the value that protecting Utah wilderness brings to our state’s economy. ”
SUWA is committed to spending more than $2 million on the media campaign over the next 4 to 5 years, said Darrell Knuffke, SUWA’s Board of Directors Chair.
“By speaking to and giving voice to the broad majority of Utahns who support a balanced approached to wilderness preservation,” added Groene, “This campaign can change the game and help bring permanent protection for wilderness in Utah.”
About SUWA
The mission of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) is the preservation of the outstanding wilderness at the heart of the Colorado Plateau, and the management of these lands in their natural state for the benefit of all Americans.
SUWA promotes local and national recognition of the region’s unique character through research and public education; supports both administrative and legislative initiatives to permanently protect the Colorado Plateau wild places within the National Park and National Wilderness Preservation Systems, or by other protective designations where appropriate; builds support for such initiatives on both the local and national level; and provides leadership within the conservation movement through uncompromising advocacy for wilderness preservation.
Contact: Matt Gross — (802) 578-3394, mathew@suwa.org
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