The Campaign

To promote sustainable actions, a bold entry visa process was created: Arrivals MUST sign a pledge, stamped in their passports, to be good environmental stewards. Signed before an officer, this eco-promise is dedicated to Palau’s children. The stamp is central to the campaign. Physicals stamps of the Pledge, type and icons were made. Their imprints were scanned and applied to all campaign elements. The logo, inspired by the Palau flag and “sign here” symbol, is incomplete until signed.

Creative Execution

The Passport Stamp was designed in 5 key language versions: English; Chinese (Simplified); Chinese (Traditional); Japanese; and Korean. The Pledge logo, inspired by the Palau flag and universal “sign here” symbol, is incomplete until signed Each new signatory creates a new, personalised iteration of the logo. The Pledge itself is a formal promise to Palau's children to protect and preserve their home. Workshops with Palau’s children produced key phrases used in the Pledge. Visitors receive the stamped Pledge in their passports at Immigration (airports, seaports). They must read and sign the agreement before an Immigration Officer to gain entry. (Officers received training in the new process.) Physical stamps of the Pledge, Logo, Pictograms and Typography were fabricated. Their imprints were digitally scanned for authenticity and applied to the following supporting media: passport brochure; airport posters; signage around the island; and social media posts.

Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market

Launched at the UN, the Pledge garnered enormous coverage for Palau’s conservation efforts. Its social, cultural, and political impact is local and global: • Over 2 million tourists will sign Pledge within first 10 years • In first weeks of launch, Pledge achieved 1.7 billion earned media impressions (for $0 spend) • Pledge endorsed by global organisations/ leaders in politics, conservation, and tourism, including UN, World Economic Forum, Greenpeace, World Wildlife Fund, Conservation International, Leonardo DiCaprio, John Kerry (Former US Secretary of State) • The first country to incorporate environmental practices into its immigration laws While Palau is a small nation, its efforts to mitigate mass tourism’s effects can be seen on a global scale. Already nations including New Zealand have expressed interest in creating their own visitor Pledge. By taking steps to sustainably manage its tourist population, Palau hopes other countries will take action to protect their environment.