Branding the Outdoors
HUNT FOR GOOD: HOW FISHER DESIGN IS HELPING
SHAPE THE FUTURE OF HUNTING ADVOCACY
Approximate 4-6 Minute Read
What do smoked turkey, the U.S Wildlife Refuge, your favorite national park, outdoor survival skills, waterways, preppers and a half-a-day of “you time” all have in common? These are just a few of the things that benefit from legal, regulated hunting. And all are part of the Hunt For Good campaign.
For decades, the outdoor industry has lacked a unified, nationwide campaign to build cultural support for hunting. That changed when the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) partnered with Fisher Design and other leading agencies to create Hunt For Good—a national awareness initiative designed to reshape perceptions of hunting among non-hunters. Fisher Design played a critical role in crafting messaging, visuals, strategy, and media planning to reach the “Middle 80%“ of Americans—those who neither strongly oppose nor actively participate in hunting.
As a brand and marketing agency with deep experience in the outdoors industry, Fisher Design understands that successful advocacy isn't just about getting the message out—it's about getting the message right. The Hunt For Good campaign proves that with the right storytelling, imagery, and strategy, even complex cultural conversations can shift.
The Challenge of a Fragmented Industry
One of the biggest challenges in reshaping public perception of hunting is that the industry itself is deeply fragmented. Unlike other sectors with centralized industry bodies, hunting lacks a single, unified voice. Instead, a patchwork of conservation groups, state wildlife agencies, outdoor brands, and independent hunting organizations all operate within their own silos. While each has a vested interest in increasing public support for hunting, few have the scale, influence, or incentive to collaborate on a cohesive, nationwide initiative. Until Hunt For Good, no coalition had successfully worked to unite all these factions under one shared direction.
Compounding this issue is the fact that most hunting-focused organizations are speaking in a language that resonate more with hunters rather than non-hunters. Many well-meaning campaigns continue to use insider terminology, emphasizing skill, tradition, and personal experience. However, this messaging, while powerful within the community, fails to bridge the gap to non-hunters. In effect, much of the existing communication in the hunting industry amounts to preaching to the choir—reinforcing existing attitudes rather than persuading new audiences.
Beyond the outdoor industry itself, hunting’s perception is also shaped by a wide range of external influences, including media, pop culture, food sustainability movements, public policy, and corporate brand partnerships. Television, film, and digital content often depict hunting in extreme, polarizing ways—either as an outdated, unethical practice or as an adrenaline-fueled pursuit disconnected from conservation. Meanwhile, major food retailers and sustainability advocates have been slow to recognize hunting as a legitimate, ethical means of sourcing food, despite a growing cultural shift toward regenerative agriculture and self-sufficiency.
Hunt For Good had to navigate this complex landscape of competing voices, industry inertia, and cultural narratives to create a campaign that could actually reach and influence non-hunters. Fisher Design played a crucial role in developing a strategic, research-driven approach that transcended traditional hunting rhetoric and positioned the campaign within broader, relevant cultural conversations.
The Power of Clarity: Messaging and Storytelling
Messaging matters, especially in a culturally sensitive space like hunting. Research showed that while 77% of Americans generally approve of hunting, misconceptions persist. Fisher Design helped develop simple, flexible, and compelling messaging that framed hunting as a positive force in conservation, food sustainability, and community building.
These messages were tested and validated through extensive audience research to ensure they resonated with non-hunters rather than polarizing them.
The Art of Visual Persuasion: Imagery That Connects
In an age of visual-first media, the wrong imagery can derail even the strongest message. One of the biggest challenges was countering negative stereotypes of hunters often found in online search results.
Fisher Design worked to ensure that Hunt For Good’s imagery was:
- Welcoming, Not Intimidating: Instead of the traditional “grip-and-grin” images of hunters with harvested animals, the campaign focused on the experience of the hunt, nature, and conservation.
- Regionally Adaptable: The visuals were designed for state-level customization, ensuring relevance across diverse landscapes.
- Compelling, Yet Subtle: Strong visuals told a bigger story in a single glance, making them effective in high-speed digital environments.
By shifting the focus away from trophy hunting and toward conservation and sustainability, the campaign bridged the gap between hunters and non-hunters.
Media Strategy: Meeting the Audience Where They Are
Hunt For Good wasn’t just about making noise—it was about being heard by the right people, in the right way. Fisher Design, with our partners at rEvolution Sports Marketing, spearheaded a media strategy that ensured maximum impact with minimal waste.
Core Media Planning Tactics:
- Digital Ads for Scalability:
- Social media ads featured short, punchy messaging and scroll-stopping visuals.
- Display ads were optimized for mobile and desktop to ensure seamless cross-platform experiences.
- Website as the Hub:
- com became the campaign’s central content engine.
- Each ad drove users to customized landing pages, reinforcing key messages with additional resources.
- Influencer & Community Engagement:
- Collaborations with outdoor enthusiasts, chefs, and conservationists help extend the campaign’s credibility beyond the hunting community.
- Real voices telling real stories made the campaign authentic and relatable.
- Localized Out-of-Home (OOH) Advertising:
- Strategic billboard placements ensure visibility in key hunting regions.
- Posters, event banners, and grassroots marketing materials strengthened real-world touchpoints.
By balancing digital-first execution with real-world activation, Hunt For Good has become more than an ad campaign—it’s become a movement.
Conclusion: A Model for Future Advocacy
Hunt For Good stands as a blueprint for how awareness campaigns can create real cultural impact. It proved that when messaging, imagery, and media strategy align, even a fragmented industry can begin to speak with a more unified voice. Fisher Design’s role in shaping this campaign highlights its expertise in bridging gaps, crafting compelling brand narratives, and executing strategies that drive results.
While the campaign’s primary success metric was impressions, the broader impact—shifting the national conversation about hunting—is still unfolding. As cultural perspectives continue to evolve, campaigns like Hunt For Good show that strategic, research-driven branding can change perceptions and inspire action.