Environmental Defense Fund -  Qantas - Tetra Pak - DuPont

Bringing about change from the inside out

While the name OgilvyEarth is new, Ogilvy has worked with some of the leading sustainable companies for over a decade.  A mixture of sustainability marketing and communications expertise, combined with a vast network of thought leaders on the issue, helps us uniquely guide brands on the path to their better selves.

The opportunity lies in change, a real, fundamental rethinking about how you do things. We know this looks daunting. But it begins with just a few who have the courage and vision to be more. Below are the stories of brands that embraced change and partnered with us to pioneer a new direction and drive powerful results.

Invoking action through art

CHALLENGE:
American households spend more on transportation than on food and that’s especially true when gas prices are high. If every car owner drove 10 fewer miles per week, we would prevent the same amount of global warming-carbon dioxide pollution that is emitted by producing electricity for 8 million homes.  Furthermore, data from the government and the American Public Transportation Association shows that the use of public transit has recently significantly increased in three out of four cities (75% of all U.S. cities).  The Environmental Defense Fund, the Ad Council and Ogilvy saw this as an opportunity to educate consumers in major cities on the effects of carbon dioxide pollution by encouraging them to take public transportation.

INSIGHT:
In order to break through the “global warming” clutter and convince consumers to actually take action, we knew we had to convey a message that was as emotional and compelling as it was educational. The idea was to create something that would stop people in their tracks and encourage them to think about the little things they can do every day to help save the planet.

SOLUTION:
Ogilvy commissioned New York artist Joshua Allen Harris to create a PSA using a mother polar bear and her cub made out of the artist's medium of choice—recyclable plastic trash bags.

The trash bags were tied to New York City subway grates on the sidewalk and look like ordinary trash on the street. When the subway goes by, air rushes through the grates and inflates the animals, bringing them to life. Tragically, as soon as the trains depart, the polar bears collapse and "die" before our eyes. Title cards at the end of the film remind viewers to "Help save the planet. Ride, don't drive." and direct viewers to fightglobalwarming.com to learn more.

The powerful PSA, produced in :30, :60 and :90 length versions, was distributed to TV stations to broadcast nationwide.  It also ran on SeeSaw, the world’s most extensive digital out-of-home media network and was posted to YouTube and spread virally to several other video streaming and sharing websites. The shoot acted as a guerilla marketing event surrounded with “Ride Don’t Drive” stickers in the shape of paw prints that directed viewers to fightglobalwarming.com.

IMPACT:
To date, the Polar Bear videos have proved very successful in increasing awareness among Americans to "ride, don't drive.” They have recently won a Sliver One Show Pencil in the non-broadcast category and 2 National Addys in the Interactive Media and Public Service/Broadcast/Interactive categories. The videos have received over 70,000 views on You Tube and in the one month that they ran on the SeeSaw network, they generated 24,223,416 impressions and an average CPM of $13.58, a media opportunity valued  at $329,000.  They have also run as broadcast TV spots on major networks. 

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An airline creates a grassroots effort to become a leader in sustainability.

CHALLENGE:
Qantas needed a sustainability program that touched the many diverse business units and job functions. A big hurdle to implementation was creating meaningful behavioral change all across the diverse roles of the brand, from flight crew to engineering, customer service to catering.  Qantas needed to create a globally strategy that could deliver locally.

INSIGHT:
OgilvyEarth identified the need to educate all employees in key messages and proof points, while at the same time developing an action plan that was localized to gain real traction across a broad range of initiatives focused on fuel, energy, water and waste. The task was even more challenging because of third-party labor hire, retail customers and partner airlines.

SOLUTION:
The Qantas’ "begreen” sustainability program. Conducting research to gather employee opinions on the environmental challenges and potential barriers this program targeted the broader objectives of the business, addressing employees and other stakeholders. From these interviews, “begreen” volunteers were able to take localized action on the topics they found pressing, such as paper reduction targets for offices, energy reduction for airports and fuel reductions for flight operations. Reporting and recognition programs were also introduced to ensure on-going traction.
 
RESULTS:
Qantas has already seen a number of exciting actions, ranging from the brand team turning off Qantas logos on buildings, to turning off lights in offices when not in use and deeper education on fuel conservation plans. Awareness and growth of the program continue to be strong with over 350 volunteers joining the “begreen” program in the first  six months and increased requests for take home information.

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A packaging company transforms itself to answer the call of environmentalism.

CHALLENGE:
In this new age of sustainability, Tetra Pak wanted to educate its market in the positive environmental impact of its product so that consumers might look for and choose its brand of packaging in their efforts to make a difference in the world. A big hurdle to implementation was creating a meaningful argument for consumers in order to bring about this desired behavioral change.
 
INSIGHT:
Working closely with Tetra Pak, Ogilvy identified ways to build the company’s brand in the sustainability territory. By giving consumers real arguments for seeking its particular brand of packaging Tetra Pak could create a movement within the sustainability dialogue, creating greater brand loyalty while delivering on its environmental promise. Uncovering the insight, “it’s not only about packages,” was all the ammunition they needed. Suddenly Tetra Pak had transformation power. The conversation could now be built around what a Tetra Pak can become - a title, a pen, environmental education, jobs.

SOLUTION:
The battle cry became, “Without noticing, you change the world with Tetra Pak.” Ogilvy’s 360 Degree media experience came into play with the formulation of an institutional campaign to educate the public. Print, film, TV merchandising, radio and the PR component of news interviews successfully got the word out, dramatically influencing consumer perception.

RESULTS:
Tetra Pak achieved its B to C goal by leading a new movement in the category; the first packaging company to have a sustainability speech to final consumers. For the first time, consumers became aware that the pack they bought might have a negative influence on the planet. It was a key step in making Tetra Pak the first choice for consumers concerned with making a positive impact on the environment.

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A science company takes an unscientific approach to changing its role in sustainability.

CHALLENGE:
Unaware of DuPont leadership in the safety and sustainability business, mainstream consumers considered DuPont products too complex to be relevant. And they were right. DuPont had prided itself on products that were inherently scientific and rational. This caused the health of their brand to erode globally on all fronts with ever diminishing relevance and purchase intent among consumers.

INSIGHT:
Seeing an opportunity in scientific complexity, OgilvyEarth recognized the potential for DuPont to position itself as a pioneer in sustainable technologies simply by leveraging their history of innovation in a way that would replace its obtuse reputation as a “leader in product performance through science” into a more dynamic promise. Focusing on “Lighthouse” products and brands, DuPont could demonstrate its ability to use “dynamic science” to build safe and sustainable solutions for everyday life. OgilvyEarth identified further innovations by steering away from big budget ad campaigns to create their own case study, a demonstration, a 360-degree initiative that would be self-evident across channels and platforms.

SOLUTION:
In the aftermath of a Force 5 tornado the town of Greensburg, Kansas decided to do something extraordinary.  The residents chose to rebuild Greensburg as American’s first green town.  The call went out for corporate help and DuPont was honored to step in. Owing to its portfolio of safety and sustainable building products, they were uniquely positioned to fulfill the town’s dream to rebuild green. Realizing it was the perfect partnership for DuPont to demonstrate its great products rather than just talk about them, we employed our entertainment group, OgilvyEntertainment. They created an emotional voltage in the communications that brought a sense of humanity to the DuPont brand in the story.

RESULTS:
There was a 390% increase in awareness of DuPont as an innovative green company. Consumers realigned themselves with the brand finding it relevant and progressive. Local and national media sparked to the idea with TNT and ESPN showing interest in covering DuPont efforts in Greensburg.

The event’s impact reached as many as one million Americans, including the White House with then President Bush’s chief aid calling DuPont with a request for further information on its work in Greensburg.

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