Palau Pledge
To curb the ecological damage caused by the booming number of tourists to this tiny island-nation in the Pacific, we created the Palau Pledge.
A new immigration and entry visa process was developed, and now, every single visitor receives the Pledge stamped in their passports, which must be signed in front of an immigration officer. This mandatory agreement is a promise to act in an environmentally responsible way on the island, and authorities can take legal action against visitors who break the conditions of the Pledge, including fines.
As part of the campaign we created street signage, a compulsory inflight film, a passport insert, a website, a business accreditation program, education in Palau, and collateral to ensure tourists and locals were educated and empowered.
Launched by the President of Palau at the UN, the campaign has been endorsed by environmental, tourism and economic organizations (WWF, Greenpeace, NatGeo, World Economic Forum, etc.) and influencers (Leonardo DiCaprio, Former US Secretary of State John Kerry, Richard Branson, etc.). The Pledge stands as a commitment to protect Palau and it’s a pioneering innovation for good.
Palau is the first country to incorporate environmental practices into its immigration laws.
Awards:
Cannes
GRAND PRIX - Titanium
GRAND PRIX - Sustainable Development Goals
GRAND PRIX - Direct
GOLD - Brand Experience - Launch re-launch
SILVER - Media - Ambient small scale
SILVER - Sustainable Development Goals - Partnership for the goals
BRONZE - Sustainable Development Goals - Life below water
FINALIST - Design - New Brand Identity
FINALIST- Media - Integrated Media
FINALIST - Sustainable Development Goals - Industry innovation
D&AD
DESIGN BLACK PENCIL OF THE DECADE
BLACK PENCIL - Branding - Campaign branding & identity
YELLOW PENCIL - Branding - Brand expression in Print
GRAPHITE PENCIL - Integrated - Innovative media
GRAPHITE PENCIL - Media - Use of Direct
GRAPHITE PENCIL - Direct - Direct response
WOOD PENCIL - Creativity for good - Advertising and communications WOOD PENCIL - Writing for Advertising - Writing for direct
WOOD PENCIL - Writing for Design - Writing for printed materials
D&AD Impact
BLACK PENCIL - Environmental sustainability
WOOD PENCIL - Community and interaction
Clio
GRAND CLIO - Innovation
GRAND CLIO - Direct
GOLD - Integrated campaign
GOLD - Brand Design - Environmental
GOLD - Brand Design - Direct Marketing
SILVER - PR - Brand Development
SILVER - PR - Environmental
SILVER - PR - Multicultural
LIA
GRAND LIA - Design - Brand identity
GRAND LIA - Ambient - Public Service/Social awareness
GOLD - Design - Brand identity
GOLD - Ambient - Public Service/Social awareness
GOLD - Design - Direct marketing campaign
GOLD - Integration - Public Service/Social awareness
GOLD - Non-Traditional - Direct Marketing
GOLD - The NEW - Media Innovation
SILVER - Design - Art Direction Campaign for Palau Pledge
SILVER - Verbal Identity - Use of Copywriting
FINALIST - Design - Direct Marketing - Consumer
One Show
SILVER - Innovation in cross platform - Integrated branding
BRONZE - Cross platform - Integrated branding
MERIT - Design - Branding identity system
MERIT - Direct - Print flat & dimensional
Spikes
GRAND PRIX - Integrated
GRAND PRIX - Direct
GRAND PRIX - Design
GRAND PRIX - PR
GRAND PRIX - Media
GOLD - Direct
GOLD - PR
AWARD
GOLD - Direct - Alternative media
GOLD - PR - Best use of PR
GOLD - PR - Best use of unpaid influencers
GOLD - Creativity for good - Design
SILVER - Integrated campaign
SILVER - Craft in Advertising - Art Direction campaign
SILVER - Design - Integrated Design
SILVER - Market disruption - Sustainable product service development
SILVER - Creativity for good - Advertising
BRONZE - Direct - Art Direction for Direct
BRONZE - Direct - Integrated solutions
FINALIST - Design - Medium size identity
FINALIST - Design - Logos
FINALIST - Craft in Advertising - Branded entertainment and content
Webby
NOMINEE - Best cause related Advertising campaign
HONOREE - Best cause related PR campaign
AdStars
GRAND PRIX of the year
GRAND PRIX - Direct
GRAND PRIX - Media
Video Case Study
Multilingual immigration passport stamp
In-flight film
Passport insert
Website - PalauPledge.com
Social integration
Multilingual social posts
Airport Posters
Street signage and name badges
Craft and photography
Every element of the campaign, from the stamp itself to the photography, was crafted to represent the beauty of Palau.
The stamp design is elegant, but highly functional – simple enough to translate easily into five languages, and ensure legibility with repeat use.
The logo was inspired by the signing function of the Palau Pledge – it remains incomplete until it’s signed.
Bold and graphic, its elements are derived from a combination of the geometric forms of the Palauan flag and the universal symbol for ‘sign here’: the line. Essentially, every time the Pledge is signed, a new and unique version of the logo is created.
Physical stamps of the educational icons and typography were also created. The textures and imperfections of their imprints were then scanned digitally and used throughout the campaign.
The photography aims to capture the unique spirit of a place and people unlike any other. We not only sought to capture the pristine, but fragile beauty of its environment, but also its inheritors, whose futures we are trying to protect - the children of Palau.
