An out-of-home advert from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has been awarded a 5-Star rating from consultancy System1, placing it in the top 1% of charity adverts.

The ad, which was from the not-for-profit’s ‘Prescription for Nature’ campaign, also received a Fast Fluency rating (calculated on the percentage of viewers who recognised the brand within two seconds) of 71%, compared to the average out-of-home score of 43%.

According to System 1, the advert also surpassed the average star rating for out-of-home works, which is 2.2 stars.

Andrew Tindall, SVP at System1, said: “This ad demonstrates the power of positive feeling and consistency within a category focused on driving immediate response and donations.”

Subscribe to Marketing Beat for free

Sign up here to get the latest agency-related news sent straight to your inbox each morning

“While charity ads often tap into negative emotions such as anger or sadness for short-term results, they are, on average, less effective at long-term brand building. Steering away from such category tropes is not only going to build brand equity for WWF, but it will be more memorable, as it goes against what audiences are used to and expect from charity advertising,” he added.

A secondary advert from the campaign, which showed a flock of young ducklings, scored a rating of 4.3.

Lisa Lee, executive director of brand, campaigns and communications at WWF, said: “We’re thrilled to have achieved the maximum Star Rating from System1 and to see our Prescription for Nature campaign’s positive emotional impact.”
“It’s exciting how our creative and strategic foundation has continued to grow through consistency, and we have big plans for its rollout this year to help everyone get their daily dose of nature,” she added.