February 9, 2021
As a copywriter with experience in zhuzhing communications materials, Melissa helped the NGO Reef-World streamline its suite of global posters and guides to effectively reach audiences around the world and in several different languages.
The Green Fins initiative – implemented internationally by The Reef-World Foundation and the UN Environment Programme – reduces the negative environmental impacts associated with marine tourism. The initiative protects coral reefs through the only internationally recognised environmental standards for diving and snorkelling and robust assessments to measure compliance.
Green Fins encourages and empowers the diving industry to reduce the pressures on coral reefs by offering practical, low-cost alternatives to harmful practices and providing strategic training, support and resources. By reducing the local pressures tourism puts on coral reefs, it helps make corals healthier and more resilient to other stresses.
Reef-World is continually developing new communications materials to help the Green Fins network improve their sustainable practices. This includes educating both staff and guests about actions that can be taken to protect coral reefs. Previously, the charity had an ad hoc approach to developing materials and needed help being more strategic in meeting the needs of their beneficiaries. They needed a strategic copywriter to audit and streamline their communications materials!
- Ran comprehensive materials and audience audits to determine areas of highest need
- Created materials inventory for easy tracking of the development status of all materials
- Led the development of charity-wide materials naming protocols for clarity and consistency
- Implemented new policies and protocols to streamline team performance for enhanced results in a more time effective manner
- Developed a long-term materials development plan based on the audit’s findings
- Ensured the charity’s communications strategy included focused promotion of the Green Fins website and downloads
- Led the internal team, contractors, interns and volunteers in the development of new materials including translations into new languages
- Integral to the relaunch of the new Green Fins website where the materials are now hosted (Oct 2020)
- Led the redesign of the Green Fins logo based on audience feedback
- Developed branding guidelines to ensure consistency across all materials.
Using her expertise as a communications materials copywriter, Melissa helped the charity improve its existing materials and boost its creation of new materials that met its audience's most pressing needs. Here's how:
Year one (2019-2020)
- Creation of Green Fins plastic checklists for divers and operators
- Launch of new sunscreen poster and infographic
- Development of Reef-World’s 2018-19 annual report
- 77% year-on-year increase in number of materials downloaded (7,450+ from 4,200+)
- Exposed 115,000+ tourists to our educational materials (up from 110,000+ the previous year)
Year two (2020-2021)
- Made Green Fins materials available in Arabic
- Facilitated creation of Green Fins materials into (refreshed) Japanese
- Made selected Green Fins materials publicly available in French, German, Dutch, Hungarian, Indonesian, Malaysian, Italian, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, Vietnamese and Turkish
- Development of Reef-World’s 2019-20 annual report
- Created new Green Fins guidelines for disinfecting chemical cleaning
- Created new Green Fins guidelines for environmentally friendly clean-ups
- Created new Green Fins alternatives to anchoring guidelines
- Created new Green Fins guidelines for Crown-of-Thorns sea star (COTS) clean-ups
Ready to chat?
Hello!
Great to hear you're interested in working together - I'm always keen to hear about potential commissions from editors, exciting new stories from marine conservationists and suitable briefs from prospective clients.
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The Ocean Writer Ltd. Registered company number: 14772669
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N.B. I do not work with the fossil fuel industry. If that's you, please look for support elsewhere. Thank you.
