Taking The Buzz To New Levels
The world’s bee populations are in serious trouble. As their habitats dwindle worldwide because of increasing urbanisation and climate change, the flowers and plants that produce the pollen and nectar that make up 100 per cent of their diet are disappearing as well, making bees vulnerable to pests and pathogens. Without pollinators like the bees, delicious fruits like strawberry wouldn’t exist. You can’t even enjoy a cup of coffee without the input of bees, says Nicola Quinn. “In fact, bees help to pollinate over one third of all food on earth and it’s impossible to imagine life without them”.
Beeswax is a key ingredient to many products across the Burt’s Bees range says Nicola Quinn. “But we are launching the Bring Back The Bees campaign in Australia to educate consumers about the importance of bees to the planet’s eco-system which supports our long-term sustainability goals. Millennials, in particular, are interested in how simple yet direct actions have real and immediate effects”.
Global Smash Hit
Burt’s Bees first launched the Bring Back The Bees campaign in the US in 2016. The brand dropped the letter b from the labels of its iconic beeswax lip balm in three flavours – Pink Grapefruit, Wild Cherry and Coconut & Pear – involved in the promotion which were sold online and at major retail locations. Becoming Urt’s Ees on the limited editions was an ingenious way to amplify the message that even a small change can make a big difference.
Enthusiastic to add to the global eco-minded differences the campaign is achieving, Burt’s Bees Australia is not only bringing attention to a serious environmental problem, we are also helping to raise funds for our charity partner, says Quinn. “In February, we will be launching a Limited Edition Strawberry Lip Balm in selected pharmacies nationwide. For every Strawberry lip balm sold, $1 will be donated to the Wheen Bee Foundation, an Australian non-for-profit organisation that raises funds for research into the plight of bees both nationally and globally”.
Perfect Partners/Bees Vital To Australian Agriculture
Choosing the right partners has been crucial to the success of the Bring Back the Bees Campaign. Burt’s Bees partnered with the British Beekeepers Association in the UK, Stadtbienen in Germany, a non-profit association that promotes the protection of bees in major cities such as Berlin and Munich, and Urban Bees in Seoul.
Gretchen Wheen was one of Australia’s best-known commercial beekeepers. She was also a leading expert in the art of instrumental insemination of queen bees to boost efforts in stock improvement, developing strong links with bee researchers in Europe and the US. Gretchen’s belief in the role of bees in food security was a key inspiration of her pioneering work because a massive two-thirds of Australia’s agricultural production benefits from honey bee pollination.
The contribution of honey bees to Australian agriculture was valued at $14.2 billion in 2018. Gretchen established the Wheen Bee Foundation in 2009 and donated her farm and laboratory on the Hawkesbury River in NSW to the foundation when she died in 2012. To date, the Wheen Bee Foundation has raised over $3 million for further research and protection of the honey bee.
The Bring Back The Bees campaign isn’t the only initiative Burt’s Bees has introduced in Australia to raise awareness about the plight of the bee. In 2017, the brand became a champion sponsor of Sydney’s Taronga Zoo exhibit, an installation that gives visitors the chance to closely study bees and hive activity.
Maxing Media Reach/Triple Bottom Line
Burt’s Bees Australia is poised to spread the message and has developed a creative approach for the broadest reach. During the launch month of February, Burt’s Bees will engage with a hand-picked selection of media personalities whose careers are linked in some way to bees. The brand will also be sharing a high quality visual representation of the importance of bees to our world.
Burt’s Bees has long been renowned for its triple bottom line focus – people, profit, planet. The brand’s mission tagline – The Greater Good – covers its employees, customers and their families and the environment. “All of our ingredients and packaging are naturally and ethically sourced”, says Quinn. With the Bring Back The Bees campaign everyone wins. Burt’s Bees makes a genuine impact for good and introduces new customers to products that can help the environmental heavy lifters – the bees – that inspired our brand. The pleasurable part is the limited edition Strawberry Lip Balm, enriched with shea butter, coconut oil and strawberry, to keep lips hydrated and supple with a sophisticated matte finish.