Australian Wool Innovation’s Wear Wool, Not Waste finds captured audience

Australian Wool Innovation’s ‘Wear Wool, not Waste’ campaign has gone viral with more than 68 million views — double its original target of 36 million — across target markets around the world.

AWI chief executive officer John Roberts said the campaign, released in September and concluding in October, exceeded expectations and led to an uptick in both sales and awareness of wool.

“Wear Wool, Not Waste was viewed by millions internationally and it is boosting wool’s perception among consumers,” he said.

“Messages around wool’s sustainability resonated, leading to increased consideration for wool as an environmentally friendly option.

“Our goal is to raise awareness of wool at a time when legislative changes are being introduced to curb the rise in throwaway fashion, which has been driven by cheap, synthetic clothing.”

The minute-long video shows a busy metropolitan street littered with synthetic fibre, highlighting that synthetic apparel did not readily decompose and remain polluting the environment for centuries.

It with the words “every synthetic garment ever made still exists in some form haunting our planet”, followed by the words “wool is natural, renewable, biodegradable, and the most recycled apparel fibre”.

The campaign, released by AWI’s subsidiary Woolmark, followed the earlier successful release of its Wear Wool, Not Fossil Fuel campaign in 2022.

It had an extended presence in New York through to January 6, covering Times Square during New Year’s Eve, plus airport taxi toppers.

Mr Roberts said AWI continued to invest in defending the fibre, ensuring wool’s benefits were understood and appreciated and that the wool was not disadvantaged in apparel rating schemes.

The campaign significantly increased awareness around wool as well as Woolmark brand awareness, consideration and preference across target markets of the US, United Kingdom and France.

France showed the highest uplift in consideration and preference for wool.

Measured results included a 12 per cent increase in Woolmark brand awareness, a +29 per cent increase in perception of wool as environmentally friendly, and a 25 per cent in perception of wool as more fashionable.

Pre versus post campaign results also discovered a 14 per cent increase in perception of wool as high quality, and a 63 per cent consumer consideration for wool.

There was also a 79 per cent average brand appeal for Woolmark, and a 75 per cent average purchase intent for wool.

For 76 per cent of those who viewed the campaign, the advert had them think twice about the environmental impact of their clothes, and 81 per cent said they believed wool was gentle on the environment.

And 75 per cent of viewers said they would consider materials and fabrics when making a purchase decision regarding clothes.

To find out more, view woolmark.com/wear-wool.