Tourism centric environmental campaign wins Cannes Lions top award

Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Lonely Planet defines it as “scenically magical.” Palau, a small Pacific island nation is an archipelago of around 200 islands, known for the superlative dive sites featuring seascapes and marine life that has earned it “the underwater Serengeti” nickname. However, its reputation was proving a problem. The environmental effect of its rising tourism had to be addressed.

 
“The Palau Pledge,” which last week won three Cannes Lions Grand Prix–Direct, the inaugural Sustainable Development Goals Grand Prix, and the popular Titanium top prize–brilliantly entwined the environmental message for the country into its tourism operation and government procedure.

 
Created out of Host/Havas Sydney, the “pledge” requested visitors to be responsible environmentally while exploring the country by signing in a contract that was stamped into their passports upon arrival. If you wanted into Palau, you had to sign the pledge. It reads:

 
Children of Palau, I take this pledge as your guest, to preserve and protect your beautiful and unique island home.

 
I vow to tread lightly, act kindly, and explore mindfully.

 
I shall not take what is not given.

 
I shall not harm what does not harm me.

 
The only footprints I shall leave are those that will wash away.

 
Titanium Lions jury president and Wieden+Kennedy global co-chief creative officer Colleen Decourcy informed AdAge that the campaign went further messaging and changed minds of governments and made them do something sustainable. “It took pieces from everything we loved in the other Titanium winners and put them into this idea that’s world-changing,” she said. “This felt like something we should be thinking about moving forward.”

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