With the UEFA European Football Championship final looming large, you might expect a raft of new ads from brands bigging up themselves and the England team. Sadly, few companies are that well organised so most are simply regurgitating their ads from weeks ago, many featuring Marcus Rashford who didn’t even make the squad.
Instead, dear readers, this week we are mostly getting down with “da kids” to save the planet, with the launch of a new series of short films for the RSPB under the banner “We Campaign Because They Can’t”.
Devised by the Good Agency and Blue Zoo, the campaign builds on the RSPB’s longstanding aim of being a leading voice that advocates on behalf of nature, with each film featuring an animal attempting to engage in human-like campaigning against the destruction of their natural habitat, but, ultimately and unfortunately, failing.
Running on social media, the activity urges viewers to take a stand against the crisis facing the UK’s wildlife and join the RSPB on its mission to save it.
The films aim for a tactile, miniature set look inspired by the works of Wes Anderson, an influence that extended into the cinematography as well.
The campaign balances humour with urgency and is based on insights from IPA that show humour is one of the most effective tools to make advertising stand out but, until recently, had been in continual decline over the past decade.
RSPB director of campaigning and mobilisation Alice Hardiman said: “More than 80% of 16- to 24-year-olds agree that nature benefits their mental health and wellbeing, but access to nature isn’t equal, with young people facing particular barriers.
“Content about the nature and climate crises can be daunting, so finding innovative ways to tell stories is crucial. We want to give young people every chance we can for them to take part in campaigning activities, big and small.
“Through a blend of organic content such as our TikTok account and targeted campaigns like this, working with our Youth Council, not to mention the free access to our reserves for young people, we’re confident we’re starting to cut through.”
So, what is the consensus around the Decision Marketing office?
Well, for more than three decades Aardman had the monopoly on this style of animation, so it is great to see the likes of the RSPB giving someone else a chance. And who better than the Blue Zoo, a home-grown company which was founded by Oli Hyatt, Adam Shaw, and Tom Box from Bournemouth University, and has gone on to produce numerous TV shows including Alphablocks, Numberblocks, Digby Dragon, Miffy’s Adventures Big and Small, The Adventures of Paddington, and It’s Pony?
This work is a great example of how to combine humour with a serious message, and, although we are way off the target market of 16- to 24-year-olds, it struck a chord with us, too.
Decision Marketing Adometer: A “Wallace and who?” 9 out of 10
