How we earned our stripes on Project Tiger

Mission: On the 50th anniversary of Project Tiger, the Times of India (TOI) wanted to motivate Indian youth to take up the torch of tiger conservation. The challenge was to move the issue from the blind spot to the spotlight. Our team, as part of the larger ‘Saving our Stripes’ initiative came up with a well-crafted print campaign employing captivating visuals and impactful storytelling. The result befitted the stature of our national animal; with huge surges in traffic to the campaign microsite, encouraging participation from young India and a resounding endorsement from prominent public figures. 

Tiger, Tiger, burning bright?

The biggest challenge for Project Tiger was that its very success had driven it into the background. To get young Indians excited and aware of the vital role tigers played in the ecosystem, we had to try a wholly fresh approach. The other major hurdle was that most environmental conversations trigger defensiveness instead of engagement; leaving people guilty and uninspired to make a change. Our approach had to be fresh, sensitive and give our readers a sense of pride and joy.

Unleashing Print

The campaign boldly chose to use print media to engage, educate, and amplify the message of tiger conservation in today’s digital age. The team knew that the often underestimated reach and influence of print, would do the job of fostering a deeper understanding among our readers.

A message from our national animal

With so clear a brief, our team set to work. The rules were clear – no grandstanding, no reiterating obvious facts, and no content that resembled earlier work. We focussed instead on highlighting the tiger as an apex predator, whose existence protected habitats, animals and vegetation. Without adequate tiger populations, entire ecosystems could potentially fail and hasten the impending climate catastrophe.

The campaign used heartwarming visuals of tigers and cubs to propel an impactful and informative narrative. The entire tone and look was distinct and imaginative, ensuring that the ads stood out and captured attention. The format was used to highlight other initiatives of the ‘Saving our Stripes’ campaign as well, including the very well received tiger anthem and ‘Young Crusaders’ contest.

A ‘roaring’ success

The campaign proved to be a massive success, especially with the youth.

Attracting new readers:

• The captivating print material lead to an influx of over 6 million new users on the microsite, and a significant rise of  11% in organic and direct traffic, with 2000 new E-paper signups
• The campaign achieved a remarkable reach of 223 million+ with an engagement of 117 million+.

Endorsement and Recognition:

The print campaign also garnered recognition from prominent figures.

Esteemed political leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Yogi Adityanath, Brajesh Pathak, and others, recognized the campaign’s contribution to promoting tiger conservation. They shared the campaign’s content, amplifying its impact.