The Palau Pledge

Why it works

An ad that every visitor has to sign. In a country where tourists outnumber citizens eight to one, putting its pristine environment at risk, the Pacific nation of Palau changed its arrival process at the end of 2017: every incoming visitor must sign a pledge stamped into their passport, addressed to the children of Palau, promising as their guest to 'tread lightly, act kindly and explore mindfully'. All inbound flights were required to screen an animated film, 'The Giant', explaining why. National Geographic called it the first country to require an eco-pledge on arrival. Some 97,000 visitors had signed by the time of D&AD's case study, and Hawaii and New Zealand have since introduced pledges of their own. At Cannes 2018 it won three Grands Prix — Titanium, Direct and Sustainable Development Goals — and it took a D&AD Black Pencil. It is studied as communication written into law: the message delivered at the one moment no visitor can skip.