OUR PLANET: OUR IMPACT - WWF

GROUNDBREAKING STORYTELLINGOUR PLANET EPISODESAND KEY THEMESEPISODE 2FROZENWORLDSA LANDMARK NATURAL HISTORY SERIES.IceEPISODE 8EPISODE 3JUNGLESFORESTSDiversityResilienceEPISODE 1ONE PLANETEPISODE 7EPISODE 4ConnectednessFRESHWATERCOASTAL SEASProductivityFlowEPISODE 6HIGH SEASHot spotsEPISODE 5FROM DESERTSTO GRASSLANDSSpaceOUR PLANET: OUR IMPACTWhile many working in the natural historystorytelling space, including Attenborough, have longbelieved their films helped build popular supportfor the protection of nature, until recently there washesitancy to include explicit environmental narratives.But there has been increasing criticism of the genre,externally and from within the sector, that by failingto directly address the critical situation nature faces, itwas giving viewers a false impression that nature wasthriving.Previous big budget, landmark natural documentariesseries had either largely avoided discussion ofenvironmental issues or, like Blue Planet II, touchedon them lightly only in specific scenes.Our Planet, by contrast, put an environmentalmessage at the heart of the narrative of the entireseries. The supplementary Halo content explored theissues raised in the series in more depth, witha strong emphasis on solutions and the connectionsbetween people and nature.WITH AN ENVIRONMENTAL MESSAGE ANDA SUPPORTING HALOThe series has eight episodes, with the first showingthe interconnectedness of nature and the remainingseven each organised around a different biome,an area of the planet distinguished by its climate,plants and animals. By looking globally at thesedifferent systems, the series was able to explain howthese systems worked as well as the common threatsthey faced. Oliver Scholey / Silverback/NetflixSpecifically, Our Planet tried to explain the singlething that made each biome unique, the threatseach faced, and how those could be addressed. Forexample, the grasslands episode explored how theyfunctioned as a system only because of vast space –which is under threat due to land conversion, largelydriven by human demand for meat.The Halo, which began with the website andassociated digital content, eventually grew toencompass a huge suite of interconnected projectsthat drew on the series content and relationships.13

OUR PLANET HALOSERIES ASSETSEVENTSSeries and HaloScreeningsOurPlanet.comChildren’s BookGlobal Our PlanetConcert series(due 2021)Our PlanetSeries BookOur Planet album –Stephen Price andEllie GouldingThe Our Planet seriesled to the developmentand production of aseparate project, a featurefilm entitled “DavidAttenborough: A Lifeon Our Planet,” with anaccompanying album. Thefilm, which will have alimited theatrical release andalso be distributed by Netflix.It was scheduled for releasein April 2020, but due to theglobal Covid-19 pandemic,was delayed until the autumnof 2020. A book expanding onthe film messaging will bereleased in parallel.AR Experiencein Singapore,UK and NYOUR PLANETSERIESEDUCATIONAL ASSETSSUPPLEMENTARY FILMCONTENT224 Short Films(40 translated into5 languages)Our Planet,Our Business(business film)Our Planet: Too BigTo Fail (finance film)Our PlanetLocal Action onBiodiversity ToolkitOur Planeteducator’s packClassroomResources &Screenings GuidesOur Planet Live:Skype in theclassroomSeek for OurPlanet AppYouth Voices forOur PlanetWild Wisdom Quiz Alastair Macewen / Silverback/NetflixOUR PLANET: OUR IMPACT15

KEY MESSAGESEVERYTHING IS CONNECTEDThroughout Our Planet, but especially in the firstepisode One Planet, the series shows the linksbetween different natural systems – and howultimately these connect to human livelihoods.The first sequence of Episode 1: One Planetshows how millions of seabirds nesting on thePeruvian coast of South America rely on hugeshoals of anchovies that feed on deep seanutrients brought by the powerful Humboltcurrent that sweeps up from Antarctica, whichin turn depend on on dust blown into the seafrom deserts around the world. Presented as agrand, intricate dance with a cast of millions thesequence shows how the world operates as one,interconnected system.NATURE IS RESILIENTOur Planet includes messages of hope – includinga number of sequences that illustrate the powerof nature to come back if given the opportunity.Episode 6: High Seas ends with the largestgathering of humpback whales seen in 100 years,explaining that the global ban on commercialhunting of whales has succeeded. The seriesends, in Episode 8: Forests, with footage fromChernobyl, showing how the nuclear disaster site,abandoned by people more than three decadesago, has been retaken by forest and wildlife.CLIMATE CHANGE IS HAPPENING NOWEpisode 2: Frozen Worlds contains some ofOur Planet’s most hard-hitting and memorablescenes. One shows walruses toppling to theirdeaths from cliffs as a result of climate change.Due to a lack of summer sea ice, the walruseshad “hauled out” on overcrowded, inappropriaterocky cliffs. Unable to find their way back tosea, many fell to their deaths. Another scene,in Episode 1, shows the massive collapse of anArctic glacier, the largest ever recorded. Bothscenes hit home that the impacts of climatechange are already being felt. Huw Cordey / Netflix/SilverbackOUR PLANET: OUR IMPACT17

HOW IMPACT WAS MEASUREDPROJECT REACHTo measure the impact of Our Planet, this report drew on a number ofsources, including:1. P ublicly released data from Netflix about theviewership of the series2. Q ualitative research undertaken by WWF thatused ethnographic vlogging to follow the endto-end journey of engaging with the series.Participants were asked to watch the entire seriesin three weeks and record video diaries whilewatching. Follow-ups were conducted one weekand six weeks after viewing.3. Q uantitative research undertaken by WWFincluding large-scale surveys conducted in fourOur Planet markets – the UK, US, Colombia andBrazil -- to measure the impact of the series onviewers. WWF conducted a 20 minute onlinesurvey, with data gathered by Dynata, of10,467 individuals in the four countries. Of those,2747 across all markets had seen at least oneepisode of the series. The samples were nationallyrepresentative which means that they accuratelyreflect the overall country’s population.4. Global social and media monitoring online inthe English-language was conducted usingMeltwater Sysomos. In addition, individualWWF offices around the world used a variety ofmedia monitoring systems to report coverage intheir markets.28,500 MEDIA PIECESIN 129 COUNTRIES(between November 2018 andSeptember 2019)45MILLIONACCOUNTS VIEWED SERIESGLOBALLY IN THE FIRST MONTH,ESTIMATED TO BE BETWEEN 90TO 180 MILLION INDIVIDUALS 2UNIQUE.25USERSMILLIONTOOURPLANET.COM AND3.2 MILLION SESSIONS(by May 31, 2020) 100MILLIONDIGITAL ENGAGEMENTSMORE THAN 66 EVENTS IN 35COUNTRIES USING SERIES ORHALO CONTENT(not including Our Planet, OurBusiness screenings, betweenOctober 2018 and March 2020)350,000 SIGNATURESGLOBALLY TO VOICE FORTHE PLANET PETITION(by May 31, 2020)30,000 USERS OF AR EXHIBITIONIN SINGAPORE, NEW YORK AND UK90 MILLION ONLINE VIEWS OFOUR PLANET HALO AND SERIESCONTENT BY THE END OF 2019 290 SCREENINGS OF ‘OURPLANET, OUR BUSINESS’ IN 55COUNTRIES, REACHING 23,000BUSINESS PEOPLE(by May 2020)13,000CHILDREN IN KENYA, INDIA,SINGAPORE AND THE UKREACHED THROUGHEDUCATIONAL SCREENINGS 1 MILLION DOWNLOADSOF SEEK APP Kieran O’Donovan / Silverback/NetflixOUR PLANET: OUR IMPACT19

AUDIENCERESPONSEVIEWERSHIP BY POLITICAL AFFILIATIONLegendCountry profile0%5%10%15%20%25%30%OP viewers35%40%Labour PartyConservative PartyWHO WATCHEDGreen PartyLiberal Democrats PartyThe global reach of Netflix – and translation of theseries into over 20 languages – provided a uniqueopportunity for Our Planet to penetrate marketsthat had previously had less access to landmarknatural history series. Netflix does not releasedetailed global viewership figures, making it difficultto get a full picture of the audience. However, WWFquantitative research in four markets – Colombia,UK, Brazil, and the US – indicated there waswidespread awareness of the series and substantialviewership. In Colombia, 18 percent of the adultpopulation reported viewing at least one episode.Audiences in Colombia and Brazil skewed younger,with 60 percent of viewers between the ages of 18and 35. In the UK the series reached a general crosssection audience, while in the US the show reacheda predominantly older audience. Many viewed OurPlanet in a family context, especially in Brazil andColombia, where around half of respondents saidthey watched with their children – though only 30percent did so in the USA.While viewers of the series skewed slightly leftleaning politically, in all countries there was aspread of viewers with different political leanings.OtherScottish Nat. PartyUKIPDemocratic PartyRepublican PartyIndependentOtherPSL PartidoSocial LiberalPT PartidoDos TrablhadoresPV Partido VerdeOUR PLANET VIEWERSHIP: APRIL 5 – JUNE 16 2019% publicawarenessColombia30%% publicclaimedviewing20%Other% publicconfirmedviewing*18%Estimatedviewership ofat least 9%11,116,988PSDBNOVO Partido NovoPartido SocialismoE LiberdadeRede SustentabilidadePartido Verde(Col.) Alianza VerdeCentro DemocráticoOtherPartido Liberal ColombianoUSA15%* Adjusted after showing trailer6%5%11,259,075Polo DemocráticoAlternativoColombia Justa LibresBase size: UK (2821), US (2651), Brazil (2666), Colombia (2360)OUR PLANET: OUR IMPACT21

AUDIENCE RESPONSEViewers of Our Planet were overwhelmingly positiveabout the series, with 95 percent in the four countriesrating it 4 or 5 on a five-point scale (with 5 a ratingof ‘Excellent’). It also compared highly favorably toother recent landmark series, with 73 percent rating itexcellent, compared to 66 for Blue Planet II and63 percent for Planet Earth II. Audiences in Colombiaand Brazil, which have had less exposure to the genre,reported the highest approval ratings.Audiences also responded well to the environmentalmessage of the series – in fact, they said they wantedmore, especially about what they could do personally andwhat business and government were and should be doing.RESPONSE TO SERIES NARRATIVEI like the waythey explainthe importanceof differentecosystems, therelationships thatoccur in these andhow climate changeis affecting themand this in turn as itaffects us.BrazilWhat’s not tolike? Informative,captivating,worrying, greatphotographyand with DavidAttenborough givingthe commentary great combination.UKAUDIENCE RESPONSE TO ENVIRONMENTAL MESSAGING IN THE SERIESThe productionvalue of this seriesis amazing and oneof the best if notthe best wildlifeseries ever made.Not only showingincredible footageof beautiful animalsbut also addressingthe harmful lossof habitat mostanimals are havingto endure.USAI am fascinatedby the way theproblem is covered,the productionof these series isextraordinary. Thetechnology is of firstquality, the messageis clear, reliable,timely, real.ColombiaIt’s so eye openingabout the changesthe planet isgoing through.It makes mewant to change mylifestyle to helppreserve the futureof the planet.LegendFar too muchA bit too muchJust rightA bit too littleFar too littleExplanations of what is causing environmental issuesHard-hitting footage showing the reality of the impacts of environmental issuesUKInformation on what needs to be done to solve environmental issuesIt does a greatjob explaininghow everythingis connected. Forexample, how meltingof ice in Greenlandcan damage bird life inPeru. The photographyis astoundinglybeautiful. The showtakes you to placesthat very few peoplewould ever be able togo. It is interspersedwith dramatic andexamples of animalbehaviour.Information on what I can personally do to helpStories about how businesses are making positive steps to address environmental issuesStories about how goverments are making positive steps to address environmental issuesUSABase size: UK (705), US (613)OUR PLANET: OUR IMPACT23

AUDIENCE RESPONSEThe most memorable scenes were all climate related, with the top threerecalled sequences all from Episodes 1 and 2.But viewers also had very high recall of facts related to theinterconnectedness of nature and extent of wildlife loss in recentdecades, as well statements that showed a more sophisticatedunderstanding of the complexity of climate change.MEMORABLE SEQUENCES, FROM SOCIAL LISTENING DATAPolarbears17.9%Walruses13.1%Ice caps/frozenworlds7.1%MarinePenguinsand ocean 4.4%life5.8%Bluewhale3.0%KEY REMEMBERED FACTS FROM EPISODES VIEWED71% RECALL69% RECALLThe oceans drivethe weatherand the climate,which means thatdamaged oceanswill contribute toextreme weatherand climate change.Episode 6:The High SeasIn one year from2016 to 2017,1000km of theGreat Barrier Reefin Australia diedbecause of rising seatemperatures dueto climate change.Episode 4:Coastal Seas56% RECALLThe world’s tigerpopulations havedeclined by 95%.Episode 5:From Deserts toGrasslands68% RECALLIn one lifetime, wehave lost more thanhalf of the wildlifeon EarthEpisode 1:One Planet Sophie Lanfear / Silverback/NetflixOUR PLANET: OUR IMPACT25

MEASURABLESHIFT IN BELIEFSCompared to non-viewers, people who had watchedthe series reported increased awareness, concernand knowledge about the environmental issuescovered in the series, ranging from endangered wildlifeto restoring biodiversity. Climate change was themost recalled issue. They also reported strongerattitudes around the need to act, includingbelieving that people are impacting the environmentand businesses and government need to take action.Viewers felt more strongly that they have theknowledge to do something and that theirown individual actions can make a difference.However, they weren’t likely to feel much morepositive about the future and our ability to tackle majorenvironmental problems. Degi Peljee/Silverback/Netflix Gisle Sverdrup / Silverback/NetflixKEY REMEMBERED FACTS FROM EPISODES VIEWEDLegendUnexposed35%Exposed70%30%60%25%50%% definitely agreeingClaiming to know ‘a lot’ about these issues:40%BELIEFS ABOUT PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THOSEEXPOSED TO THE SERIES COMPARED TO THOSE NOT EXPOSED20%15%10%Exposed30%20%10%0%0%I am positiveabout thefuture andour ability tosolve today’senvironmentalissuesI feel I knowenough aboutwhat I can doto help theenvironmentThe things thatI do to help theenvironmentmakes a realdifferenceI am impacted byenvironmentalissues a greatdeal in myeveryday lifeBase size: OP viewers (2747), Non-OP viewers (7751)To me it’s a highpriority to live anenvironmentallyconsciouslifestyleI am preparedto makelifestylechanges tobenefit theenvironmentThe waywe live isimpactingwildlife hereand in othercountiresSustainablefishingEnsuring food isfrom sustainablesourcesProtecting theArcticSustainabilityof global foodproductionProtectingcoral reefsStoppingpoaching andIllegal WildlifeTradeProtecting andsustainable useof our ts andecosystemsHaltingdeforestationConservingrivers eredwildlifeEliminatingplastic wasteOUR PLANET: OUR IMPACTUnexposed40%5%Base size: OP viewers (2747), Non-OP viewers (7751)Legend27

MEASURABLE SHIFT IN BELIEFSADJUSTED RESULTS (UK Awareness30%0.5*50%0.6Knowledge% definitely agreeing60%Controlled sample***Exposed0.7* p 0.005** p 0.001*** p 0.000**Unexposed0.8***Legend70%SignificanceNatural fallout sampleMean difference between exposed and unexposed80%Legend*BELIEFS ABOUT NEED FOR ACTION FOR THOSE EXPOSED TO THE SERIESCOMPARED TO THOSE NOT EXPOSED10%0%The meat weconsume is aleading cause ofdeforestationWhat we eat, andhow we produceit, will determinethe future of theworld’s wildlifeThe continueddegradation ofnature and theenvironmentis politicallyand sociallyunacceptableWhat we do inthe next 20 yearswill determinethe future of alllife on earthGovernmentsneed to giveenvironmentalissues a greaterpriority than theycurrently doBusinessesneed to be heldaccountable fortheir impact onthe environmentWe need toprotect nature,wildlife and theenvironmentfor the sakeof futuregenerationsBase size: OP viewers (2747), Non-OP viewers (7751)To better understand the impact of the series onviewer attitudes and opinions, and to examinewhether other factors – such as research bias orpre-existing differences -- could have played arole in the research outcomes, WWF also ran anenhanced analysis on the UK survey results. Thisused multi-variate analysis to control for confoundingvariables such as demographic factors, other mediaconsumption, and prior charity giving.After adjusting for key characteristics the effect ofOur Planet persisted – confirming that the impactsobserved are highly evident. Those exposed to OurPlanet still reported significantly higher knowledgeand awareness of environmental issues, and though toa lesser extent, were still significantly more supportiveattitudes and higher efficacy.OUR PLANET: OUR IMPACTWWF also conducted qualitative research with14 viewers across the UK. The participants were a mixof individuals who self-designated as low, medium andhighly engaged individuals in environmental issues.Each was tasked with watching all 8 episodes in3 weeks. They produced video diaries while watching theseries with follow ups 1 week and 6 weeks after viewing.The series prompted nearly all participants to reflect ontheir own behaviors and to expect more accountabilityfrom government and businesses. In addition, fivekey shifts were noted after all 8 episodes of the serieswere watched.KEY BELIEF SHIFTS AFTER WATCHING 8 EPISODESFromTo1Overall plastics and fossil fuelDeforestation competing with plasticsburning focusand fossil fuels as a top concern2Simplistic understanding of climateIncreased awareness and understandingchange and its impactsof the impact of climate change3Ocean concerns focused on plasticsUnsustainable fishing practices becoming4Average 7 out of 10 level of concern forIncreased sense of urgency and need forthe environment – there are issues, butgovernments to act (average 9 out of 10not so bad yetlevel of concern) – we need to act now!Personal action focused on recycling andMore empowered with a betterplastic usage – not very empoweredunderstanding of how they can make5a new ocean concerna difference29

MEASURABLE SHIFT IN BELIEFSOUR PLANET WAS MOST EFFECTIVE ININFORMING AND DRIVING CONVERSATIONMeasuring direct action taken as the result ofengagement with film projects remains challenging.WWF’s quantitative research showed the largestself-reported action taken by viewers was speakingto friends or family about the series. Large numbersof viewers also reported making a change in theirown life, particularly in Colombia and Brazil. Overall,respondents in those two countries reported higherlevels of action than viewers in the UK and US.SELF-REPORTED ACTIONS TAKEN FOR THOSE EXPOSED TO THE SERIES COMPARED TO NOT EXPOSEDLegend70%60%50%40%30%20%10%0%Made a change, ordecided to make achange, in the wayI live to help tackleenvironmental issuesShared on socialmedia some clipsand posts aboutthe seriesShared on socialmedia that I’dwatched the seriesVisited the serieswebsiteWent to a searchengine, suchas Google, andsearched for moreinformation aboutthe series or issuesshown in the seriesEncouragedothers to watchthe seriesSpoke to friendsor family aboutthe seriesBase size: OP viewers UK (705), US (613), Brazil (720), Colombia (709) Degi Peljee/Silverback/NetflixOUR PLANET: OUR IMPACT31

MEASURABLE SHIFT IN BELIEFSHowever, although viewers of t

Our Planet is a global impact project built around the eight-part Netflix original documentary series Our Planet, which was released in April 2019. The series was developed in partnership with WWF and used the sweeping, big budget storytelling approach familiar to fans of shows like Planet Earth and Blue Planet, but carried an explicit