It all started with a letter I received some years ago.
To the uninitiated, the envelope that contained it didn’t look out of the ordinary, but the logo on the front told me otherwise.
The logo belonged to a conservation organisation I had volunteered with at some point, that I won’t name.
Since volunteering, they regularly emailed and wrote to me to ask me for more. More time. More effort. More money.
The guilt I felt reading these communications was intensified by the language and imagery they contained — photos of caged and suffering animals, interspersed with emotion-laden calls to action.
After contemplating it a while I decided that I couldn’t bring myself to open it. I ripped it into pieces and put it in the recycling.
What a sorry state of affairs when an ardent supporter of a cause is too afraid to even open a letter about it! What did I miss? What action did I not take?
How many others continue to face a similar conundrum, anxiously hovering over the delete button of an email?
The crying shame of it, is that the animals these organisations are trying to help are missing out on vital support they need because the messaging is turning people away.
I won’t deny that negative emotion can effectively drive action, but it doesn’t work for everyone. Personally, I know what goes on and don’t need reminding.
For others though, they just don’t respond to the negativity and need something more positive, or at least less gruesome. Maybe they even want to feel good about their actions. Is that too much to ask?
This is what pushed Luke and I to build Anibles, which originally started as a safari park game, and then later pivoted to the multi-product wildlife brand that you see today.
Our research and pondering revealed to us something seemingly obvious: if we created the opposite of the usual wildlife brand approach, we could captivate and recruit to the cause a previously untapped demographic.
“What does that look like?”, you ask. In terms of its principles, it’s really simple:
- ❌ Negative ✅ Positive
- ❌ Generic ✅ Unique
- ❌ Old-fashioned ✅ Modern
That there’s an acronym for NGO within this list may or may not be accidental!
In terms of examples, they’re simple too:
- Instead of triggering negative emotions to solicit donations, we will make people feel good, motivating them through reward and positivity.
- Instead of zoo-cafe-wall-style artwork, we’re creating instantly recognisable visuals that capture the eyes and imaginations of people around the world.
- Instead of antiquated fundraising mechanisms, we want to pave the way for the next generation of social impact companies, and use modern technologies and concepts to do so.
We envision Anibles on desks and in toy boxes, in picture frames and on screens, in games and in books. Their 3D nature, lore and ecosystem also lends itself to even bigger manifestations, such as Anibles theme and safari parks.
If you see someone who owns an Anible toy, you’ll know what they stand for. If you see them in line at a theme park, you’ll also know. This rewards individuals and gives them a sense of belonging to an impactful community.
If you’re reading this you’re early in the Anibles journey, and we’re glad that you’re a part of it. We have huge plans to build Anibles into the iconic global wildlife brand that the 21st century and its animals deserve.
We can’t wait to bring this vision to life with you.
Make sure you follow us on Twitter to stay up to date.
Ross and Luke.
