From the Amazon to Adweek: A creator-led sustainability story earns recognition for experiential excellence
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
[Atlanta, GA] – October 22, 2025 — Sustainability campaigns are everywhere. Proof of impact? Not so much. That’s why The Shelf’s “From Rainforest to Recognition” campaign for Natura just landed a spot on Adweek’s Experiential Awards shortlist—for Best Activation in Support of Sustainability.
In a year when most brands talked about purpose, The Shelf built a campaign that showed it – in the middle of the Amazon jungle.
From Field to Feed: A New Kind of Brand Storytelling
Rather than centering product, the campaign centered process. Over four days, three niche creators (beauty, sustainability, and outdoor lifestyle) documented every step of Natura’s ethical sourcing – from harvesting Tukumã with local communities to visiting the brand’s soap factory at Ecoparque Benevides.
The result?
- 385+ total assets created (987% over-delivery)
- 1.98M impressions
- 404K ThruPlays
- SpliceLab™ VTRs topping 27% (more than 2x paid benchmarks)
- Sentiment-rich comment sections and cultural alignment with U.S. eco-conscious consumers
Performance Meets Purpose
The campaign’s content became the backbone of Natura’s owned, paid, and earned strategy — turning an experiential trip into a multi-platform content engine.
Organic content outperformed The Shelf’s engagement benchmarks by 1.5×, while paid performance delivered a 22 % VTR, nearly double standard KPIs.
- CTR lifted to 0.14%
- CPM held at $5.38 (17% below goal)
- Older demos (45–64) over-indexed on engagement—a key growth audience for the brand
What started as an influencer trip became a multi-platform content engine, feeding Natura’s organic, paid, and owned channels with scroll-stopping proof of purpose.
Audiences Agreed: Influence Built on Trust
The campaign’s emotional resonance drove audience comments like:
“Wait I love this immersive experience to understand their products!! So much care!”
“So cool to get to learn that a great brand actually gives back to the local community!!”
“We love sustainable beauty!! 🙌❤”
Behind the views and saves was something deeper: alignment. Creators didn’t just post – they advocated. Audiences didn’t just scroll – they believed.
A New Model for the Future of Sustainability Marketing
The Shelf’s nomination signals a shift in experiential marketing – from performance stunts to performance with purpose.
From Rainforest to Recognition demonstrated how ESG can evolve from corporate whitepapers to watchable, shareable, high-impact stories that bridge cultures and inspire action.
Winners of Adweek’s 7th Annual Experiential Awards will be announced in the December 9 issue of Adweek (in print and online).
About The Shelf
The Shelf is a data-first influencer marketing agency combining ML-powered intelligence with bold, human creativity. Operating across 10 countries and 16 languages, The Shelf analyzes billions of creator posts to engineer brand-creator alignment that converts. A 5× Inc. 5000 company, The Shelf pioneered Interest Graph targeting, the Optimization Flywheel, and SpliceLab™ – bridging performance and authenticity for Fortune 1000 brands worldwide.
