Fossil Free Illinois
Fossil Free Illinois is a group of students and activists at the University of Illinois dedicated to seeing the university divest from fossil fuels. Their campaign is incredibly multi-faceted, and as such, so does their marketing. I’ll often describe college towns like Champaign as “micro urban.” Students on campus exist in a densely populated, urban area– even though the university’s students mostly exist in a square mile or two. That said, it creates some really interesting marketing opportunities, especially in the even more interesting world of student politics.
The Problem:
The University of Illinois has 170 million invested in fossil fuels. Most students don’t know this, but are opposed to these investments once made aware.
The Insight:
College students are generally socially liberal and care about the environment. If we can show students the merits of divestment, they’ll be willing to support the movement in small ways.
The Result:
Our team created three types of content: general environmental consciousness raising, informational, and calls to action. Our consciousness-raising posts are general environmental posts with high share value. They fit the aesthetic of any Instagram activist’s story. They’re meant to be digestible. Our informational posts educate people on our movement. By breaking down complex topics with succinct copy, we give people the tools to fight for divestment. Call to action posts are rare, but targeted. They give people a specific goal, and are the culminations of our campaigns.
