Restoring Trust in the Reef: Turning Scrutiny into Social License
The Challenge
As a six-year, $443 million federal government funding partnership came to a close, the GBRF sought to launch a new report measuring the Reef’s economic value at $70B. The task was to go beyond economic modelling and showcase the premium Australians placed on preserving the Reef for future generations, all backed by a stakeholder engagement and communications plan.
Our REsponse
Converting detailed economic modelling into a comprehensive narrative around the Reef’s value to Australians, and building a comprehensive stakeholder engagement and communications plan to reinforce that support to a diverse range of audiences. Pre-briefing the Courier Mail newspaper via a trip to the Reef to allow for extensive content capture and ensure coverage which could be widely replicated via syndication, alongside a comprehensive stakeholder engagement briefing plan and social media content.
A comprehensive media strategy, engaging data points for media consumption, new digital assets, and a stakeholder engagement plan that reinforced the GBRF’s role as a trusted guardian of the Reef’s future.
We positioned the GBRF as an irreplaceable organisation in the ongoing fight to protect and preserve the Reef, and an essential vehicle for future funding efforts towards adaptation and resilience. 89DE’s strategy elevated the issue beyond a report that measured the benefits of protecting the Reef to the economy, tourism and regional communities, to an issue intrinsic to our global reputation and the deep attachment Australians hold for the Reef.
