As Texans’ favorite grocery retailer, H-E-B has served the Lone Star State since 1905: We’re proud to call Texas home. We live here, we love here, and we’re committed to protecting here. That’s why, among the company’s many internal environmental efforts, H-E-B also supports many Texas charities, farmers, ranchers, researchers, and environmentalists who are taking good care of our land, water, and air.
Above all, H-E-B puts Our Texas, Our Future first.
Despite Texans’ longstanding loyalty to H-E-B an internal brand survey discovered that customers didn’t associate the beloved retailer with sustainability–and today’s consumers are eager to shop brands & retailers that align with their personal social & environmental beliefs. In fact, 68% of consumers expressed that sustainability was just as important to them as price & convenience—while just 31% of those who prioritize sustainability believe H-E-B is committed. In the last 5 years, consumers’ awareness and interest in sustainability has grown exponentially and as such H-E-B needs to clearly communicate the new and existing efforts to preserve the environment for the communities we serve.
Our Texas, Our Future decided to tell the stories of the amazing Texan organizations working to conserve & protect Texas’s environment and native species. While this 5-part short film series helped reinforce H-E-B’s reputation as a company that cares, and introduced Texans to our sustainability commitments, it primarily raised awareness of progress being made with the complex environmental issues facing Texas and how all Texans can help contribute to a cleaner, greener Texas.
One thing that unites all Texans is our love for the Lone Star State and its people. The H-E-B Presents: Our Texas, Our Future Films docuseries spotlighted the Texan organizations & people working to conserve & protect our land and wildlife.
To expand our reach & relevancy to more Texans, we worked with Texas-based, award-winning filmmakers, Fin & Fur, who have strong connections to the environmental industry. Four of the five films bring attention to important work being done across the state to protect delicate wildlife habitats and threatened animal species in Texas. The fifth film, Texas State Parks Centennial, spotlighted the 1.5 million-plus acre network of the 90 Texas State Parks, and their 100-year history.
Batsies: Two female Texas State University wildlife researchers work against the clock to find a way to save Texas’s delicate—and crucial—bat population while breaking barriers of their own.
Redfish Revival: Once overfished to dangerous levels, wild redfish are once again thriving on the Gulf Coast, thanks to a healthy balance of sustainable aquaculture and wild-caught practices—and a group of passionate Houston anglers working to keep it that way.
Second Chance: Driven out of Texas in the 1900s, black bears have gradually returned to their historic habitat—and Borderlands Research Institute & West Texas ranchers are working to find out why.
Ranching With Ocelots: Fewer than 120 ocelots remain in the U.S.A., and they’re all in deep South Texas. Their future depends on the ranchers & researchers working to create a sustainable agriculture system for both cattle & wildlife.
We organized a film premiere to offer credibility in a big-screen format at Alamo Drafthouse, exposing the series to key community stakeholders, media, and influencers. The premiere was immediately followed by a Q&A panel that included the film experts, creators, and H-E-B leadership. Each documentary was hosted online at OurTexasOurFuture.com and on YouTube. The 11 stations of Texas PBS also aired the series under the title Texas Wildlife: Our Future and are helping distribute HEB-created classroom curriculum for grades 6 – 8 through their PBS Learning Media platform for teachers & students.
In addition to streaming channels, H-E-B partnered with Texan-based Alamo Drafthouse theaters to host 16 free screenings statewide with a 78% fill rate, proving that Texans are interested & engaged in Texas nature including an exclusive outdoor viewing under the Texas stars at the Guadalupe River Texas State Park that resulted in a $10,000 charitable donation to Texas Parks & Wildlife Foundation through ticket sales.
Promotional tactics for the docuseries included:
An augmented Reality mural, poster, and social filter
Trailers on green C/TV and Volta EV chargers
Custom DirecTV pause screens
Octopus video trailers in Austin rideshare vehicles
Custom ASMR “nature sounds” streaming audio spots
Bus wraps on electric buses
Social media & influencer content
Texans responded with resounding interest and an outpouring of gratitude for H-E-B shining the spotlight on these important stories. The press went “wild” too, providing an organic boost of 280 media hits and 121 broadcast hits. Each film gave a wider voice to a Texas nonprofit and academic research organizations working to conserve & protect the animals and land of our great state. The docuseries trailers gathered over 7 million views on YouTube.
Batsies, the docuseries film directed by award-winning filmmaker Elizabeth Unger, was named Best Short Film in Conservation at the Jackson Wild Media Awards, establishing credibility to further customers’ belief towards real commitment. The docuseries earned an additional seven award laurel wreaths and amassed 52,000 views on YouTube, with 46% of views averaging 6 minutes, 46 seconds, proving their craft and captivating message amongst peer and mass audiences.
In our post-campaign performance survey; a whopping 73.5% of customers believed that H-E-B is “very committed to the environment” after exposure to the docuseries marketing campaign. The results showcased the success of docuseries and subsequent campaign in educating H-E-B customers about our sustainability commitment and efforts. The Texas Parks & Wildlife Foundation also received $287,000 in donations for various projects from people & organizations who reported that the docuseries prompted their donations, proving that motivating people to action is what will truly move the needle for sustainability.
