WWF Australia Earth hour: Plant spikes

Wunderman Sydney has created what is believed to be another world first initiative as part of this year’s Earth Hour campaign. ‘Plant Spikes’ follows last year’s multi award-winning augmented reality project ‘Earth in Your Hands’ that encouraged more than 35000 people to create a 3D Earth. The 2010 initiative has opened a new media channel aimed at businesses around the country. Plant Spikes is a low-budget environmentally friendly way to reach staff in office buildings and encourage them to get their businesses supporting Earth Hour. To penetrate offices and get maximum impact, Wunderman chose office greenery to carry this year’s Earth Hour message. Their solution was to create spikes that could be “planted” into office pot plants, distributed by plant hire companies during usual watering rounds. In what could be a world first, Wunderman and STI Lilyfield developed a new ink containing natural plant fertiliser that is released to feed the pot plant as the spike biodegrades in the soil. Wunderman CD Matt Batten said the spikes have proved to be a spectacularly simple way of raising awareness of business’ role in creating pollution and getting office workers on-side to help reduce emissions. The message on the plant spikes was simple, ‘I help your environment. Please help mine.’ “The team delivered a triple innovation by using office greenery as a media channel for Earth Hour, then engaging a whole new distribution channel through plant hire companies and the brilliant initiative to develop and use a fertilising ink. They’ve actually produced a piece of marketing that physically helps a small part of the environment.” STI Lilyfield printers developed FSC-certified paper and an organic liquid fertiliser was mixed with vegetable-based inks to create fertiliser-rich ink capable of superior quality print that benefits the plant as it naturally breaks down. According to Nick Tunstall, STI Lilyfield, “The trick was to get a fertiliser that would not damage valuable printing presses, mix with the ink and not affect printability or quality. After much brain storming and hard work, we felt we had the right product and produced an innovative piece of work which we are really proud of.” The fertilising spikes have been distributed by TPR Group, which supplies office plants to more than 1500 businesses across Australia. Wunderman have also helped Earth Hour with a couple of digital elements this year – an web-app that lets you view websites by candlelight, and a Virtual Light Switch as a fun facebook application and a microsite.

Advertising Agency: Wunderman, Australia
Writer: Theodora Gerakiteys
Art Director: Paolo Meucci
Creative Director: Matt Batten
Production Manager: Paul Hayes
Printer: Sti Lilyfield
Distributor: Tpr Group