Great Barrier Reef’s lifetime achievement campaign shatters all expectations

Billions have now seen the Great Barrier Reef’s campaign video for a United Nations’ prize but will it be enough?

The Great Barrier Reef’s nomination for a United Nations lifetime achievement award has shattered all expectations after reaching billions across the globe.

A bid to win a coveted UN prize for the Great Barrier Reef is gaining international support after the campaign video clocked up billions of views but the final say will rest on one single vote.

Tourism Tropical North Queensland’s campaign to recognise the world’s largest living organism as the first non-human for the United Nations Environment Programme’s lifetime achievement award has been viewed five billion times, with more than 1.2 million people signing to show their support.

TTNQ chief executive Mark Olsen said the Lifetime of Greatness campaign had now reached five billion people.

TTNQ chief executive Mark Olsen was shocked to see the overwhelming support for the Lifetime of Greatness campaign but said the bid clearly struck a chord with people overseas.

“If we had hit over 100,000 supporters, we would have considered the campaign a success based on the proportion of people that actually go through to sign their support but we have blown that away,” he said.

“The Great Barrier Reef is beloved around the world. It’s still one of the most recognisable places in Australia behind the Sydney Opera House.

“Only a small portion of the people who have supported this campaign will actually have been to the reef and a lot more people who haven’t yet been to Great Barrier Reef that are supporting this nomination, and that’s what’s really exciting is that this is a global conversation around the role that tourism plays in conservation.”

Regions such as the United Kingdom, South East Asia, India and North America have been the project’s main supporters, with less than ten per cent of those signing coming from Australia.

Mr Olsen said the most shocking figure was the staggering reach the campaign had.

“It’s hard to know how many of those are unique individuals seeing it multiple times, but it’s now reached five billion consumers,” he said.

“We know that good campaigns have to be seen between seven and 11 times, so that means that possibly hundreds of millions of people have seen it within that range to really get the message across.

“That message is that the reef is living, breathing, thriving and deserving of a lifetime achievement award.”

The winner will be announced later this year and decided by one judge - executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme, Inger Anderson.

Mr Olsen said he thought the reef was as worthy as anyone or anything for the award and that the recognition would help highlight how industry and visitors view the reef.

“It’s a teacher, it’s a healer, it’s a classroom,” he said.

“It’s great to see people from around the world... support this positive story of the reef as an entity that inspires others.

“That inspires young people to want to work in the marine industries, to inspire young scientists, to inspire people to want to be a tour guide and work on the Great Barrier Reef or to be a part of its conservation.”

Originally published as Great Barrier Reef’s lifetime achievement campaign shatters all expectations