A leading nonprofit evolves its brand to inspire a movement

The OPPORTUNITY

Arbor Day had a complex brand architecture filled with competing and confusing sub-brands and initiatives that weren’t tied to the parent brand. They were doing so much great work but not getting the credit and recognition of having a unified brand architecture and experience. 

“We work across the world in so many different ways and there were times our network did not see the connection they had with one another through the Arbor Day Foundation,” said the CEO of the Arbor Day Foundation, Dan Lambe. 

They also needed to modernize the brand to better connect with ALL audiences. They have a really strong base of supporters, including many older generations – which is great! – but they needed to look to the future as well, and expand into a mass movement, especially with challenger brands competing for attention. Arbor Day Foundation has big ambitions, and you don’t accomplish big, audacious goals without building a massive movement that anyone can be a part of. You’ve got to admire an organization that accomplishes something incredible and then says “we’re just getting started.” 

In our research, we identified a key insight to build the brand on: 

The world today faces critical challenges: Climate Change. Wildfires. Deforestation. Pollution. Urban Heat Zones. Habitat Loss.

We also face division, conflict, and controversy. Making the world a better place can seem overwhelming, if not impossible. But trees can bring us together to help solve big problems and save the world. Every person can be a tree planter and make the world a better place. And everyone loves trees: 

• Nearly nine out of 10 Americans believe trees and green spaces have a positive impact on their mental wellbeing. 

• The overwhelming majority (95%) see the value of trees in their communities for their ability to clean air, provide shade, and provide privacy.

• And 9 out of 10 agreed cities and urban areas should be built with trees and green spaces in mind. Source: The Canopy Report | Arbor Day Foundation

• “The American people themselves believe they are less divided than they are made out to be by politicians and media pundits.” Public Agenda And USA Today

There was an opportunity to build a movement that people would strongly identify with: we can each make a real difference in making the world, and the future, better by planting trees – and Arbor Day Foundation will unite us to do that like no other brand can. 

PARTNERSHIP

We worked hand-in-hand with the Arbor Day Foundation’s leadership team for months to craft a strategy and brand that fit them, preserving the things that were working and evolving where they needed to. Unlike a traditional agency that unveils completed work, gives the client two rounds of revision, and then closes the books, this was a true collaboration, with constant communication, sharing, and input from throughout their team. 

The result was a brand strategy and identity that reflects the core of the Foundation, their legacy, and their loyal members, while evolving to be more effective and engaging for the next 50 years.

What we did

We found that the Arbor Day Foundation has a unique role to play in bringing people together to help solve the challenges our planet faces. Their network, their people, their history – all make them uniquely positioned to be a global leader. With their breadth and network, they enable anyone to get involved. They connect people to the right opportunities to be tree planters – it’s not just about planting trees; it’s about inspiring everyone to feel like a tree planter, and to nurture and celebrate the trees we plant and the trees we have. 

We also found that the American public would respond well to a unifying brand built on tree planting. 

WE YEARN FOR UNITY. WE’RE TIRED OF DIVISION. WE WANT TO MAKE PROGRESS. AS HUMANS, WE ALL WANT THE NEXT GENERATION TO HAVE HAPPY LIVES. OUR COMMUNITIES TO PROSPER. TO WORK FOR AND BUY FROM BRANDS THAT HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE WORLD. WE ALL WANT TO BE BROUGHT TOGETHER. IN A WORLD THAT CAN SEEM HOPELESS, WE’RE READY FOR HOPE.

The Arbor Day Foundation has an inspiring vision of the future to share: when trees flourish, all of life benefits. People are healthier and happier. Air and water are cleaner. Habitat and ecosystems thrive. Our planet is brought closer to balance. The Arbor Day Foundation can inspire the world to imagine a better future, together – united. 

This was the basis for their brand strategy: 

BELIEF: WE BELIEVE TREES BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER TO DO GREAT THINGS.

MISSION: TO INSPIRE PEOPLE TO PLANT, NURTURE, AND CELEBRATE TREES.

VISION: A WORLD UNIFIED BY TREES, WHERE ALL LIFE FLOURISHES.

“We are bold enough to believe in a better world for all of us,” said Lambe. “But to do something bigger than any of us, takes all of us, and trees are one of the few things people can unify behind. This is the moment to make hope for the planet a reality.”

We created an entire system for them to align their brand with everything that they do, creating greater consistency, authenticity, and trust.

From there, we built a modernized, vibrant, inspiring brand identity and simplified brand architecture: