CAL FIRE
“Ready for Wildfire” Campaign
The Challenge
California’s extended drought heightened the threat of wildfire across the state. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) protects and provides stewardship to over 31 million acres of California's privately-owned wildlands. With each of CAL FIRE’s field offices and other fire protection agencies employing disparate branding materials and inconsistent messaging, the result was low compliance, putting homeowners and firefighters at risk. Sagent was charged with creating more impactful messaging leading to greater community compliance and agency adoption.
The Solution
Research was conducted to create a baseline for pre-and-post campaign awareness. A brand identity and messaging built around a graphic approach were born from the research, addressing the issue of California’s multicultural and geographic diversity. A strategic public outreach campaign helped to stretch the campaign media budget and led to the development of an online toolkit readily available to field offices and agencies. Our strategy included:
A creative brand identity relevant to the state’s diverse regions.
Public, multicultural outreach to amplify paid media.
Accessible and downloadable tools and outreach materials.
The Results
- Achieved substantial adoption by field offices, fire protection agencies, and stakeholders across the state including the U.S. National Forest Service
- Directed over 190,000 visitors from targeted communities to the online wildfire action plan
- Measured increased awareness and behavior change just 90 days into the campaign
- Delivered more than 50% in added media value
