Whales Framing Redesign

Overview

Whales are a species of mammals that are endangered, with some examples being entanglement, whaling, etc..

Audience Information

Three Audiences:

1. Marine Biologists: Scientists studying whale biology, behavior, migration patterns, and conservation, who need detailed data on species, habitats, and ecological impacts.
2. Conservationists: Organizations and individuals focused on protecting whales and their habitats, interested in population trends, threats like climate change or whaling, and policy implications.
3. General Public: People seeking accessible information about whales for education, awareness, or personal interest, often through documentaries, books, or public aquarium programs. (All of this was through Grok AI!)

• Audience Basics:
• Values & Worries. What problem are they trying to solve?
• - Marine Biologists, Conservationists, and the General Public: The problem that all of these groups are trying to solve is the whales’ survival and the ecosystem that they live in.
• Identity & Trust. Who feels like ‘us’? Which messengers land?
• - Marine Biologists: They trust the government and themselves. Ex: NOAA Fisheries would be the one to release this kind of information. Very real-life photos that make their Instagram feel personal on what they do.
• - Conservationists: They trust the government and social media. Ex: Whale and Dolphin Conservation. Lots of typical millennial posts on Facebook.
• - General Public: They trust social media and themselves. Ex: Save the Whales. From what I saw, their posts on Instagram have an aesthetic that would appeal to a typical Gen-Z audience.
• Media Habits. Where/how they encounter info.
• - Marine Biologists: Directly, photos, genetic sampling—getting as close to wildlife as possible.
• - Conservationists: They work with research institutions and big government agencies, including going to whales directly, too.
• - General Public: Documentaries, tourism, and media.
• Constraints. Time, money, literacy, mobility.
• - Marine Biologists: Finances, time constraints with whales being deep divers, and ethical standards.
• - Conservationists: Time and place constraints with where whales go including being dangerous.
• - General Public: Finances, timing, and placement. (Google AI summarized stuff for me to help me get the information I needed for all of this.)

1. Persona Template:
2. Johnson, Marine Biologist, 40, Miami. Values curiosity, safety, and exploration. Goals are to help provide marine life and explore it. Fears being controlled and unable to help. Obstacles would be ethical issues and finances. Trusts government sources and mainstream media. Hesitant with social media. Government and themselves persuade them. Cares about topic because it could mean the life or death of a species of animal.
3. Amy, Conservationist, 50, California. Values safety. Goals are to provide and help. Fears being unable to help. Obstacles would be finances. Trusts social media, government sources, and mainstream media. Social media, others with a similar mindset, and mainstream media persuades them. Cares about topic because it could mean the life or death of a species of animal.
4. Brandon, Gen-Z, 26, Arizona. Values justice. Goals are to protect. Fears failure and lack of control. Obstacles would be laws. Trusts social media. Social media persuades them. Cares about this topic because it means helping an animal.
5. For each example of a messenger, refer to audience basics.

Frames & Theory

1. Marine Biologists: Progress/Innovation frame. Hope and confidence in restoring and ending entanglement—with strategies. The messengers that would best apply to this audience would be the government. TBP theory (attitude/norm).
2. Conservationists: Human impact frame. Photos of whales and using them to help give information to people about conserving whale populations. The messengers that would best apply to this audience would be a non-profit organization on social media. TBP theory (attitude/control).
3. General Public: Action/responsibility frame. Would call for the immediate action and help of whales. The messengers that would best apply would be a social media post from a non-profit again, probably retweeted. TPB theory (Control)—they want solution to justice, I think.

Designs and Format

1. Design for Posts. The design is the same as it was when it was a draft.
2. Instagram Format—took heavy inspiration from the messengers.

Caption + Alt. Text

1. Marine Biologist: (TBP + attitude/norm)
2. Hook: Want to contribute to helping the whales?
3. Fact: “There are approximately 370 North Atlantic whales remaining” (NOAA Fisheries).
4. Why: It matters because they contribute to the ecosystem (NOAA fisheries).
5. Credibility: NOAA Fisheries.
6. CTA: Call (978) 281-9300 to change a whale’s life.
7. “Want to contribute to helping the whales? From NOAA Fisheries, they say there are approximately 370 North Atlantic whales remaining. It matters that whales are here, as they contribute to the ocean’s ecosystem.
8. So call (978) 281-9300 to change a whale’s life.”
9. Updated Caption: “Want to contribute to helping the whales? Whales are vital to helping the ocean’s ecosystem. But according to NOAA Fisheries, they say that 370 North Atlantic whales remain. So call (978) 281-9300 to change a whale’s life, before they become a part of history.”
10. Alt. Text: Whales are facing an endangerment epidemic.
11. Conservationist: (TBP + attitude/control)
12. Hook: Here’s what whale endangerment means for you.
13. Fact: “Commercial whaling was banned in 1986. However, Japan, Norway, and Iceland have killed nearly 40,000 large whales since then” (Whale and Dolphin Conservation).
14. Why: Whales support many aspects of the ocean—such as holding onto carbon (Whale and Dolphin Conservation).
15. Credibility: Whale and Dolphin Conservation.
16. CTA: Follow our website to learn how you can help today: https://us.whales.org.
17. ”Here’s what whale endangerment means for you: according to Whale and Dolphin Conservation, 40,000 whales have been killed since 1986 and support many aspects of the ocean, such as holding onto carbon.
18. What are you waiting for? Follow our website to learn how you can help today: https://us.whales.org.”
19. Updated Caption: “Here’s what whale endangerment means for you. Whales support the ocean in a variety of ways, with one of the examples being holding onto carbon. However, while whaling was banned in 1986, it still continues today—with over 40,000 whales having since then been killed. So, what are you waiting for? Follow our website to learn how you can help today: https://us.whales.org.”
20. Alt. Text: Whaling is still an ongoing problem.
21. General Public: (TBP + control)
22. Hook: Stop and look; we need your help now for these whales.
23. Fact: Whales come into contact with oil slicks, traps, and whaling (Save the Whales).
24. Why: Whales regulate the ecosystem, and help phytoplankton grow as they move through the ocean (Save the Whales).
25. Credibility: Save the Whales.
26. CTA: Make a donation through our website, https://savethewhales.org, or call your senators today.
27. “Stop and look; we need your help now for these whales. Whales come into contact with oil slicks, traps, and whaling, while they also regulate the ecosystem for phytoplankton according to Save the Whales.
28. Don’t wait—make a donation through our website, https://savethewhales.org, or call your senators today.”
29. Updated Caption: “Stop and look—we need your help now for these whales. Whales help the ecosystem, especially with moving phytoplankton. However, they also come into contact with whaling, oil slicks, and traps. If you want to make a difference, make a donation through our website, https://savethewhales.org, or call your senators today.“
30. Alt. Text: Don’t let the whale become a myth.

Source & Image Credits

https://miro.com/app/board/uXjVJI4uBAk=/?share_link_id=949235465348