We Won the MobileWebAward for Best Non-Profit Mobile Website!
What’s the best way to start a new year? By celebrating an award! We just won the MobileWebAward for Best Non-Profit Mobile Website from the Web Marketing Association for our work on African Wildlife Foundation’s Legacy site.
The Web Marketing Association's annual MobileWebAward Competition sets the standard of excellence for mobile website development and celebrates the explosive growth and creativity of the space. Independent expert judges from around the world review sites in 96 industries, and only the best are recognized with a MobileWebAward. This competition is the premier award recognition program for website developers and the online marketing community, and we couldn’t be more proud to be winners — especially for African Wildlife Foundation, a client we are so proud to work with.
The website was designed to be an updated and modernized take on the successful legacy campaign, “Only Elephants Should Wear Ivory,” which ran in print between 1989 and 1992. Not only were we reintroducing the campaign, but we were also putting a new face to it with actress and advocate Candice Bergen, who served as the $50K match donor. The primary goal of the site was education around AWF’s work — past, present, and future — to combat threats at every stage of wildlife trafficking. Design and copy worked in tandem, highlighting AWF’s work to deter poaching, reduce demand in target countries, and fight trafficking through contraband detection and strengthened prosecutorial capacities.
A key part in making this landing page a success was acknowledging what was so successful about the original “Only Elephants Should Wear Ivory” campaign. Senior Copywriter Alexis Sachdev explains, “Forty years ago, AWF ran a series of cheeky, in-your-face ads that challenged the way shoppers viewed ivory and the impact this ‘trend’ was having on wildlife. Seeing ivory come back into vogue, but now in relics and decor rather than jewelry and luxury items, AWF wanted to bring back the sort of chutzpah they showed in the 80s. Our creative team got to work brainstorming some taglines in the same vein as the ads from the 80s — a bit cheeky and in-your-face, and centering the elephant’s experience in this business.” And then, we turned timeless print design into timeless website design.
This landing page was designed for scrolling, especially on mobile, but it paces you and offers you the chance to really consume the information. The images and text fill your screen so you’re not able to see all the information at once, and as you scroll through, animations perform an emotional gut-punch.
A third of the way through the page, you land on a full screen image of an elephant, who looks you right in the eye. As you keep scrolling, the image stays where it is and the words “The price of ivory is high; the cost of ivory is extinction.” slowly appear as the color drains from the photo of the elephant. For a second, you’re left on that full screen image, with just the elephant’s ivory tusks fully visible, letting the copy really sink in. That moment and that scrolling experience are what make the landing page feel as timeless as the original print ads — a feat during a digital age known for expedited trend cycles, the antithesis of timelessness.
As you reach the bottom of the page, there’s a call-out for Candice Bergen’s $50K match, with the message that the only thing that hasn’t changed in poaching in the last 40 years is that it’s all about the money — a strong fundraising ask that, though not at the center of the site, ties in with all the content above it. In addition to really streamlined, scrolling content, the site is also designed to only lead two places (as directed by the buttons at the top of the page) — “Join the Fight” and “Share” — making it all the more simple to donate or spread the word.
It’s an honor to win this award for such a great cause. Thank you to the Web Marketing Association for recognizing our work, and congratulations to our fellow MobileWebAward winners!
Team
Clay Baucom, Assistant Tech Director
Stefan Coisson, Designer
Grace Darling, Account Project Assistant
Piotr Major, Tech Director
Lesedi Ntsele Stofsky, Account Executive
Regina Ryan, Creative Director
Alexis Sachdev, Senior Copywriter
Karl Smudski, Design Director
Gianna Vollano, Account Project Manager
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