Online video consumption trends continue to amaze, yet this format is hardly considered in social impact communication campaigns. According to a Google study, 6 out of 10 people affirm that they prefer to watch videos online than to watch television. Hubspot data shows that 78% of people watch online videos every week, and according to Insivia, mobile video consumption increases by 100% yearly.
Platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Twitch are today the primary source of entertainment, information, and formation for a broad segment of the global population, especially young people. With such a large and continuously growing reach, video becomes the perfect vehicle to drive social and environmental causes.
The Rainforest Alliance’s Follow the Frog campaign is an excellent example of using video to advance a social impact cause.
But what makes this video special, and how can other organizations create videos for social impact communication?
Follow the Frog, in addition to its high production values and excellent storytelling execution, has the 4Rs (Realize, Reflect, Render, Related), a framework for social impact communication that anyone can implement.
Let us look at each element of the 4R framework and how it was applied in the Follow the Frog campaign.
Realize: The communication piece should offer viewers information they did not know. In other words, it made the audience aware of the social or environmental problems on which the organization works.
Application in the campaign: The first 40 seconds of the video are used for this phase, establishing a context with which any viewer can identify to a greater or lesser extent and offering relevant information on the problem of rainforest destruction.
Reflect: Once the problem is presented, the viewer should be invited to reflect on the problem, the importance of its being addressed, and the possible future implications of different actions.
Application in the campaign: From 0:40 to 2:30, the video invites the viewer to reflect on the problem and the consequences of different actions that can be taken to solve it or make it worse.
Render: The spectator is invited to carry out a concrete and simple action that allows him to be part of the solution. Spectators have a very short attention span; for this reason, the action requested from the audience should be simple and not require much effort.
Application in the campaign: From 2:30 to 2:55, the video tells us what action must be taken to support and be part of the solution. As we see, the action is straightforward and does not require much effort from the viewer.
Relate: Finally, the video should foster a long-term emotional connection between the viewer and the cause. This can be achieved through visual elements like logos, hashtags, and interactive websites or communities. In the Follow the Frog campaign, from 2:55 to 3:00, the logo of the Rainforest Alliance certificate serves as the Relate element, reinforcing branding and emotional attachment.
Effective Communication:
Sometimes, the Realize and Reflect elements overlap and are present but are difficult to identify. As in A Boy Named Gavin, much of the video is dedicated to these two elements; it is not until 1:40 that the Render element appears in the form of the phrase: “Please consider my rights when you make your decision.” Finally, at 1:50, we see the Related element as the #TransIsBeautiful hashtag.
Most communication pieces from organizations that address social or environmental problems stay in the first 2 Rs (Realize, Reflect). This does not mean that they are bad pieces; for example, Water Walk by Water Aid is a beautiful piece with great storytelling, but by not incorporating the elements of Render and Relate, it misuses the attention it generates in viewers and does not give a clear way in which the viewer can link with the cause and support.
Without the Render and Related elements, campaigns are merely informative, and large amounts of money can go wasted on ineffective pieces. These elements make any social impact communication campaign more effective because they help establish the campaign’s measurement and monitoring strategy. By requesting specific actions from the audience, it is easier to develop parameters and tools that measure whether the audience is actually performing that action. For example, hashtags are a great way to measure and track the effects of a video since it is effortless to count the number of times it is being used across different social networks.
With the power of online video consumption, organizations have a unique opportunity to drive positive change and inspire a global audience to join their cause.