In the UK, most of us live in inland cities, where the sea feels like a different world. We don't look after it because 'out of sight, out of mind'.
We got landlocked Brits feeling more connected to the ocean, by hooking digital billboards up to a weather API. Every time it rained, the billboards showed sea creatures dangling rainclouds over the heads of passersby – illustrating the link between local weather and the world's oceans.
The campaign began as an idea from a Glimpse hack day and was developed by a volunteer team, led by me, over the following month or so. We won £100k of free media space through Ocean Outdoor’s 'Ocean for Oceans' initiative. The campaign reached millions of people at high-profile locations like London’s Westfield, Birmingham’s Bullring, and Edinburgh’s Princes Street.
Sustainability has a bland name — a bit brown, a bit hessian-sack, a bit boring. Caring for our planet needs to be engaging. This campaign wins smiles with its playful, surreal imagery, and gets personal with the smarts of live weather data. The result is a charming and visceral reminder of our connection to the ocean every time we feel a raindrop on our heads.
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© Pete Ashworth 2024
