From a college project to a full-fledged campaign

Kathrin Wöhrle: What’s the story behind your project “The Ocean Starts Here!”?

Denise Janko: Many people associate ocean conservation primarily with the coast or the sea. But it was important to us to show that ocean conservation begins inland and that everyone can make a difference through their own behavior.

Isabell Conrad:It was important to us that the project not only look good—it should also encourage people to reflect on their own behavior.

How did the project and the collaboration with Surfrider Foundation Germany come about?

Denise: Usually, you develop a fictional campaign. But we wanted to work with a real organization.  

Isabell:I first learned about the Surfrider Foundation Germany through a brochure from the Ocean Film Tour. We then got in touch, and they were immediately eager to collaborate with us.

How did you go about developing the campaign?

Isabell: First, we immersed ourselves in the topics of microplastics and water protection, searched for relevant sources and studies, and thought about what story we wanted to tell.

Denise: The Foundation gave us only the slogan“The Ocean Starts Here!” From the very beginning, Isabell wanted to make a film, and I wanted to develop the graphic design. We worked out the entire concept together.

Isabell: The feedback from experts at the Foundation helped us ensure the content was scientifically accurate.

How did you integrate the film and graphic design?

Isabell: From the very beginning, it was important to me that the film and the graphics speak a common language. The animations, photos, and design needed to fit together and create a consistent look.

Denise: We supported each other and gave constant feedback. I was there during the shoot, and Isabell reviewed my designs. Still, each of us had our own area of focus. Our goal was to end up with a consistent overall picture. 

Isabell: Because we were working with different media, we were able to work independently while also complementing each other. Denise’s graphic design allowed us to explore the topic much more broadly.

Denise: Plus, the interviews from the film provided me with a lot of information that I could use for the design. The two complemented each other very well.

What materials were created as part of the campaign?

Denise: Our goal was a campaign that would be visible in as many places as possible. That’s why we created a film, a series of posters, fold-out flyers, stickers, signs, and magazine articles. We also developed social media posts and short clips.

Isabell:For me, the film was the central medium. At the same time, it quickly became clear that the film alone wouldn’t have the same reach. The graphic materials bring the topic into everyday life and give people different ways to engage with it.

Did you expect your project to reach this scale?

Denise: At the beginning, it wasn’t clear at all how big the project would become. It developed step by step. During the first shoots, I hadn’t designed anything myself yet. It was only through the interviews, the research, and many new ideas that the entire campaign took shape. By early January, it was clear that my print materials would even be published in magazines.

Isabell:For example, I was able to present the film at a Surfrider film night in Mannheim. Later, we also showed the presentation and the film at an event in Hamburg.

Denise: In addition, campaign materials were used for other publications and events, including the Ocean Film Tour. This allows the topic to reach people in different countries, and some of the content is also published in English. We were particularly pleased that our campaign was officially endorsed—that is, approved and supported—by the UN Decade of the Ocean. The UN Decade of the Ocean supports projects to protect the oceans between 2021 and 2030, and our campaign is being highlighted as a best practice. That’s truly something special.

Which target audiences did you want to reach with your campaign?

Isabell: We knew that we wanted to reach, above all, people who are generally open to environmental and marine conservation but haven’t yet engaged deeply with the topic.

Denise: We defined two target audiences for this: First, adults around age 40—such as parents—who are concerned about their children’s future and already have a certain level of environmental awareness. We wanted them to become aware of the campaign through posters, flyers, or signs. Second, we wanted to reach a younger audience that spends a lot of time on social media. To do this, we also developed posts and short clips for digital channels.

Isabell: It was important to us to inform rather than lecture. The campaign was meant to motivate people to take action themselves.

Looking back now, what surprised you the most during the project’s development?

Denise: At first, I felt pretty lost. It wasn’t until we conducted interviews and did research that a direction gradually began to take shape. And our standards for quality were consistently very high because we knew the results would be published later.

Isabell: I still remember the drive back from our shoot in Zeiskam. We talked about what might come of the project. But the idea that we’d eventually combine film, magazines, posters, and social media was unimaginable back then.

What impact did the project have, and what does it mean to you personally?

Denise: The best part was that many people said the project made them start thinking about their own behavior. That’s exactly what we wanted to achieve.

Isabell: We’ve received positive feedback from Surfrider, but also from our personal circles. It’s great to see that our work is actually reaching people.

Denise: And the Foundation is continuing to develop the campaign. We hope it will reach many more people in the future and that we can continue to be part of it.