(7/17/23)

By Hunter Nikolai, National Wild Turkey Federation

“Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires,” “Got Milk?” What do they have in common? A united and centralized ad campaign at the national level.

When it comes to hunting, there hasn’t been a successful, centralized campaign that brings the benefits of hunting to the national spotlight. And that’s probably for one reason. State fish and wildlife agencies have historically been siloed in their approach to marketing campaigns, generally focusing on the benefits of hunting in their respective states, along with establishing their own brand. That’s just been the way we’ve done it traditionally, and so the saga continues. There are some recent exceptions, but not yet at the national level.

The challenges with a decentralized approach to marketing the benefits of hunting are the self-imposed limitation on audience reach, lack of united and memorable messaging, and financial inefficiencies. But that’s not to say a national campaign to support hunting can’t happen – because it is happening. And its success is going to rely upon your support.

The National Wild Turkey Federation, with support from The Truth and Responsive Management, received a Multi-state Conservation Grant to develop and implement a national campaign to support hunting, titled “Hunt for Good.”

Currently, about 80% of Americans approve of hunting to some degree. But when you get down into the weeds of what exactly it is they support, it varies quite drastically. For example: while 84% of Americans support hunting for meat, only about 29% of Americans support trophy hunting (Responsive Management/NSSF, 2019).

Messaging matters. Words matter. And the truth matters – especially when it comes to connecting the nonhunting public to the ways hunting benefits the daily lives of Americans, no matter the motivation of the hunter. That’s where Hunt for Good comes into play. It’s simple, yet effective, as focus group findings and initial surveys reinforce. And any state agency, organization or industry player can fit it into their messaging, their brand and their local communities.

You may be asking yourself, “Why do we need more support for hunting if support is already at a high level?” Think of it in terms of America’s capitalistic society. What is a brand you have an affinity for and have a hard time buying from a competitor? Those brands are constantly marketing to you, keeping you in their sights and doing everything they can not to lose you to a competitor. The difference is – we’re not selling something. We’re changing beliefs, values and emotions that sit a lot closer to home than deciding between a Coke and a Pepsi.

In this case, the competitor is the anti-hunter, where organizations have been employing national campaigns against hunting for some time. Shouldn’t we be at their level, educating the “middle ground” American on why we do what we do? How what we do benefits them? Dismantling false information that is out in the metaverse with the truth? I certainly think we should.

Hunt for Good is coming to an area near you to share the work we’re all doing on a national level, and you certainly want to be on board. The campaign uses a framework that is simple, flexible and memorable. A compelling image, tied to a four-word benefit statement (“Hunt for the…”), a one-sentence descriptor, and a call to action. All of this will be tied together in an “ecosystem” or website – HuntForGood.com.  The website will have ads ready for publication on traditional and nontraditional channels that tie to unique landing pages with research-supported copy to supplement the ad tagline (think Smokey Bear-esque).

Ads designed for, and tested well with, non-hunters. (Credit: The Truth)

Ads designed for, and tested well with, active hunters. (Credit: The Truth)

The campaign will include a test launch media buy that includes print ads, banner ads, digital display, social posts, radio and OOH/billboard. States, NGOs and industry will have access to these templates to make their own, all while sharing the same voice.

Then there’s the other side of things. Hunter recruitment. We know there are a lot of Americans interested in learning how to hunt, but they just don’t have the social support system to make it happen.

Awareness comes first, before those folks become interested in hunting, according to the Outdoor Recreation Adoption Model. This campaign has a tie to R3 (Recruitment, Retention and Reactivation) at the very first step: Awareness. And while some may say such a campaign doesn’t fit that model, I think this campaign has the potential not only to create awareness, but through providing resources in the ecosystem, can make the digital connection from awareness to interest and send those folks to the professionals that pick up interested hunters where they’re at.

So, are you prepared to join a national coalition of state fish and wildlife agencies, conservation organizations and the hunting industry to share the benefits of hunting with middle-of-the-road Americans? Contact Mandy Harling, National Director of Education and Outreach Programs at the NWTF: mharling@nwtf.net for more information and to better understand the ways in which you can partner.