Arbor Day Foundation Brand + Web Roll-Out
The Arbor Day Foundation underwent a major brand refresh and website redesign — a pivotal moment for one of the most recognized environmental nonprofits in the country.
A brand refresh of this scale isn’t just visual. It’s strategic. It’s cultural. It’s organizational.
As Lead Social Media Manager (2021-2025), I led the full social and digital roll-out — from pre-launch momentum to launch execution to post-launch integration — ensuring the refreshed brand showed up intentionally, cohesively, and powerfully across every platform.
This required deep collaboration across creative agencies, executive leadership, program teams, development, corporate partnerships, and PR.
The goal wasn’t just to launch a new look.
It was to introduce a bolder voice, clearer positioning, and a renewed invitation into our mission.
The Ask
We needed to:
-
Launch a refreshed brand and website in a way that felt bold, not abrupt
-
Leave a lasting impression with both loyal supporters and new audiences
-
Drive meaningful web traffic to the redesigned site
-
Grow our network of supporters and partners
-
Empower employees and corporate partners to participate in the launch
-
Establish a new “normal” for how the Arbor Day Foundation shows up digitally
The roll-out needed to feel cohesive across:
Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter/X, paid ads, executive LinkedIn, employee advocacy, and partner channels.
The Idea
Treat the rebrand like a campaign — not a design update.
We built a three-phase rollout strategy:
-
Pre-Launch Momentum
-
Launch Week Impact
-
Post-Launch Integration + Brand Normalization
Every piece of content laddered up to one core idea:
The Arbor Day Foundation is bold enough to believe in a better, greener future — and we can’t meet this moment alone.
3 Phase Strategy
Phase 1
Objective: Reinforce credibility and build momentum before revealing the refreshed brand.
We created ~4–5 teaser posts per platform highlighting:
-
50+ years of history
-
Major milestones (500M+ trees planted, global reach)
-
Storytelling of planting projects
-
Moments of cultural relevance (NYSE bell ringing, national media appearances)
-
Soundbites from leadership and team members
Platform-first strategy mattered:
-
LinkedIn: Partnership-focused, professional positioning
-
Instagram: Visual storytelling + short-form video
-
Facebook: Loyal supporter engagement
-
Twitter/X: Industry visibility
.png)
Phase 2
Launch week included:
We focused on hitting core content buckets immediately:
-
5 consecutive branded posts (Tuesday–Saturday)
-
A powerful 30-second brand anthem video introducing refreshed messaging and visuals
-
Cutdowns in 10-, 15-, and 30-second formats optimized per platform
-
Headline-forward creative reinforcing bold positioning
-
Updated profile images, cover photos, and story highlights
-
Instagram Story covers aligned with the new visual system
Every post was designed to: Stop the scroll. Drive traffic. Move people closer to action.
-
Mission & Vision
-
Reforestation
-
Urban Tree Equity
-
Education
-
Thought Leadership
-
Partnerships
-
Donations + Engagement
Supporting efforts included:
-
Paid digital ads (awareness + conversion focused)
-
LinkedIn pulse articles written for CEO Dan Lambe
-
Executive-facing content tailored for professional audiences
-
Website traffic drivers tied to blog content and landing pages
Phase 3
A rebrand isn’t successful if it fades after one week.
We created a structured integration plan through December and into spring:
-
10–12 newly branded posts per month
-
Ongoing content bucket alignment based on channel performance data
-
Video-forward content for Instagram + TikTok
-
Data-backed tree benefits and stats posts
-
Project profiles + impact storytelling
-
Partner spotlights + testimonials
-
Thought leadership content for LinkedIn
-
Webinar, keynote, and executive promotion graphics
We analyzed top-performing content buckets per channel to guide creative decisions — ensuring performance and positioning aligned.
Employee Advocacy
One of the most strategic levers of the launch was mobilizing internal and external voices. We created a comprehensive employee advocacy toolkit including:
-
Pre-written copy variations
-
Creative assets sized per platform
-
Posting timelines
-
Hashtag guidance
-
Messaging guardrails
Employees were encouraged to share on LinkedIn and personal social platforms — extending reach into corporate, planting partner, and industry networks.
Corporate and planting partners were also equipped with resharing assets and co-branded content options.
This transformed the launch from a single-channel announcement into a network-wide amplification effort.