The World Bank | An innovative travel visa

An innovative travel visa

Promoting seamless travel between South African countries

CHALLENGE

With the goal of increasing trade in tourism services and easing the movement of travelers across their borders, partner countries of the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA) were in the process of transitioning their individual visa programs into a single unified visa system called KAZA VISA. This was to be the prototype for a wider unified visa program among the partner countries of the Southern African Development Community. As part of an awareness campaign that was launching at the United Nations World Tourism Organization 2013 Assembly, The World Bank hired Blue Marble to develop a brand identity and communication materials that would garner support and leverage growing enthusiasm for the KAZA VISA program.

INSIGHTS

The primary draw for most of the KAZA partner countries is their abundant and unique flora and fauna. As such we focused on how to use wildlife as a central theme and also convey the idea of borderless travel. We settled on a white bird in flight as the graphic for the primary logo. In certain formats, this logo was expanded to include an illustrated depiction of the Victoria Falls Bridge connecting Zambia and Zimbabwe which, with Zambia and Zimbabwe as the two pilot countries for the KAZA VISA, was symbolic of their close partnership.

We created a small booklet to provide detailed information about the KAZA VISA program as well as profile the KAZA partner countries. As KAZA VISA is ultimately a promotion for travel within and among the KAZA partner countries, we formatted the booklet to have a similar feel as a passport. It was important to incorporate beautiful imagery of landscape and wildlife and although the KAZA team lacked access to high quality photos, we were able to secure many compelling images from our own image library. We also designed business stationery, a rack card and large stand-up banner for The World Bank and KAZA teams for use at various events and for branded correspondence with current and prospective program participants and backers.

RESULTS

Bringing the KAZA VISA concept to life

The brand identity enabled The World Bank and KAZA teams to more successfully educate and generate support for the program. The communication materials have helped to encourage regional collaboration between KAZA partner countries and in particular to build awareness of Zimbabwe and Zambia as competitive international tourism destinations for cross-border tourism activities.

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CLIENT

The World Bank

SERVICES

Brand and message development

Print and digital publication

FOCUS

Economic Impact

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The World Bank | A plan for transformation through tourism

A plan for transformation through tourism

Harnessing tourism for growth and improved livelihood

CHALLENGE

After two years of intensive research and data compilation, the World Bank’s Africa Region Finance and Private Sector Development Unit had devised a strategy for tourism development in Sub-Sahara Africa in an effort to: formalize its involvement in tourism in Africa, create a framework for future interventions, and prioritize tourism-related activities. To garner support and funding from the World Bank’s key internal and external stakeholders, the research team needed to succinctly explain their findings and recommendations in a format easily accessible to The World Bank’s Africa-based staff and partners. 

INSIGHT

Through a series of work sessions with the research team, Blue Marble helped to identify the project’s key messages and explored various ways to present them. After several iterations of data visualizations and story sequencing, we developed a shared understanding of the story and how best to tell it. A strong visual identity for the project and a series of graphics to represent core findings were critical components for building awareness of the work and explaining complex ideas that might otherwise be lost in cultural translation.  

RESULTS

Confidently building stakeholder engagement

• The body of work that the research team produced was packaged into a compelling story from which a presentation, printed brochure and one-sheet were produced. These materials have made the research and resulting strategy accessible to a large number of people that would not otherwise be exposed to or understand the lengthy report.
• The research team is able to share their recommendations in a universal format with multiple audiences who have different cultural perspectives.
• A visual articulation of the strategy has made core concepts tangible and enabled the research team to gain support for the implementation of their plan.

FORGING AHEAD

For the last several years, the Africa Tourism Strategy team has continued to promote its work and publish updated recommendations and findings as the project evolves. As part of a promotional campaign for AFTFP Tourism's recently released book entitled "Tourism in Africa: Harnessing Tourism for Growth and Improved Livelihoods," we created an informational booklet and one-pager which was shared at the United Nations World Tourism Organization's 2013 General Assembly.

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CLIENT

The World Bank

SERVICES

Multimedia campaigns

Print and digital publication

FOCUS

Economic Impact

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Energia Eficiente | Building a case for energy efficiency in Brazil

Building a case

Convincing Brazilian hoteliers to invest in energy efficiency

CHALLENGE

Energia Eficiente (EE) is a consulting firm focused on helping entrepreneurs invest in energy efficiency through a unique combination of technical and financial assistance. The company runs Programa Pro Hoteis (PPH), an initiative aimed at helping the Brazil hotel industry implement energy efficiency measures. When Energia Eficiente took over PPH — which had received start-up funding from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) — the program was successful at completing energy-efficiency audits, but struggled to convince hotels to implement the recommendations outlined in the audits. Energia Eficiente had the technical and business skills to take the program to the next level, but it lacked marketing expertise. That’s when a member of the leadership team reached out to Blue Marble for assistance with developing the marketing strategy.

INSIGHT

Blue Marble conducted an in-person BluePrinting workshop at our White Salmon, Washington office with one of the EE leaders. We spent nearly three days combing through presentation materials, visualizing the future, and discussing audience objections. We brought clarity to Energia Eficiente’s sales and consultation process. We helped EE’s leadership team get clear on the perspective of their ideal hotel customer through each stage of the process, and documented our conclusions with a customer journey map. We also created audience profiles, and a mood board which provided direction for a new brand and aesthetic, and we outlined the messages for a new sales presentation. As a last step in this process, we executed a redesign of both Energia Eficiente's visual identity as well as that of Programa Pro Hoteis.

RESULTS

Clearly communicating the value of energy efficiency

• Energia Eficiente’s new materials contain icons and illustrations that are used across the sales, auditing, and reporting process which serve to clarify and unify key messages about the PPH offering.
• Energia Eficiente has a new sales presentation that has greatly improved the sales team ability to explain the program to potential participants.
• Energia Eficiente staff now has a comprehensive set of marketing tools, templates, and brand guidelines which they are easily able to update and expand upon.

FORGING AHEAD

With clarity about how to explain the PPH program, Energia Eficiente is experiencing greater ease in their communications and confidence in their business development efforts. Its leadership team has a map showing where the team can make incremental changes to improve its customers’ experiences over time. After training in how to use their collateral, members of Energia Eficiente’s leadership team have been able to update presentations and sales materials on an ongoing basis.

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CLIENT

Energia Eficiente

SERVICES

Customer/user experience planning

Brand and message development

FOCUS

Economic Impact

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“Definitely the work we did together and the several inputs received are being of great help to the development of our business.”

– Thiago Simões, Energia Eficiente

Sustainable Travel International | It's a small world

It's a small world

Connecting businesses, destinations and travelers

Sustainable Travel International (STI) offers innovative programs that support sustainable development through responsible travel. Founded in 2002, STI has evolved significantly.

At the time when STI hired us for a complete brand refresh and new website, the organization had been in operation for almost 10 years. Our work included:

• The new website features a searchable project map, a customized interface for managing staff, client, and project profiles and the ability for NGO subsidiaries of STI to create their own country-specific sections.

• New business stationery, one-sheets, branded templates for client use, and an online style guide and digital brand assets provide the organization with a range of professional collateral and a sustainable system with which to share them.

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CLIENT

Sustainable Travel International

SERVICES

Brand and message development

Website design and development

Print and digital publication

FOCUS

Economic Impact

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“The decision to work with Blue Marble Creative to develop our new brand and website paid off in numerous ways. Working with the entire team is a pleasure. They are intelligent, creative, supportive and bold, while acting as true partners in the creative process. ”

– Jeremy Sampson, VP of Marketing & Communications

Gorge Owned | GO! local

GO! local

Helping people invest in a vibrant community

CHALLENGE

The Columbia River Gorge is comprised of many small towns scattered along the banks and mountain valleys of the Columbia River in both Oregon and Washington. When the founder approached Blue Marble about joining the steering committee and later board of directors, we were excited to help this fledging nonprofit become an anchor for economic and community development in our region.

RESULTS

• GO! established the region’s first “buy local” campaign. We developed a variety of “GO! Local” materials such as posters, T-shirts, stickers, business enrollment packets, a webpage (average 200 participants/year).

• GO! had an extensive membership base and a positive impact on the community. While this org is no longer in existence, it was a catalyst to other successful projects and initiatives that continue to influence and contribute in the gorge today.

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Gorge Owned Business Network

SERVICES

Brand and message development

Multimedia campaigns

Print and digital publication

FOCUS

Economic Impact

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“Blue Marble’s experience was a huge asset to GO! as the organization was establishing its value proposition. You have a passion and true talent for helping organizations tell the ‘why’ behind their story. Your diverse skill set — being able to leverage our brand into professional, polished marketing materials in different media — was invaluable.”

– Becky Brun, Marketing and Membership Director, Gorge Owned