World Monuments Fund Makes Saving World Heritage Easy for Busy New Yorkers

New York-based nonprofit World Monuments Fund is on the front lines of preserving some of the world’s most historically significant cultural heritage sites from destructive forces, like global warming, neglect, and over-tourism. Without WMF’s devotion and hard work, these irreplaceable treasures – from Hurst Castle in Lymington, United Kingdom to the Nuri Pyramids in Sudan, and many more – could cease to exist. 

The World Monuments Fund knows that people who live in the Big Apple always have a lot on their plates, but the organisation is on a mission to tell busy New Yorkers about the important work it is doing around the world.

World Monuments Fund partnered with creative agency Havas New York, the North American flagship creative agency of global advertising and communications network Havas Group, to launch an out-of-home local market creative campaign specifically designed to resonate with the hearts and minds of fast-paced New Yorkers.

Havas New York tapped into the insight that although people in NYC care deeply about global issues, they’re too busy with everything else in their lives to take anything else on. To help these city dwellers cross “saving world heritage” off their to-do lists, the agency created aesthetically pleasing, eye-catching bus shelter ads that showcase different NYC personalities in fun ways, such as “Save Angkor Wat? Forget About It.” and “Save Mosque City of Bagerhat. With Your Schedule?!”

All five of the bus shelter ads were created based on audience research (quantitative and qualitative) to find and prioritise segments for optimal donation growth. Based on the findings, Havas NY identified target audiences and created fun personas to bring the ads to life, including: Upper West Side working mom, young progressive Brooklynite, Millennial influencer fashionista, born and bred hustler, and cultured NYC retiree.

Each out-of-home ad includes one of the five New Yorker personas and highlights five of the world’s most significant heritage sites in need of immediate attention.