Eurythenes plasticus
WWF Germany
Issue 57 | December 2020
Agency
BBDO Düsseldorf
Creative Team
Chief Creative Officer Till Diestel Creative Managing Director Kristoffer Heilemann Executive Creative Director, Script Andy Wyeth Senior Art Director Bernd Rose Art Directors Marco Serra, Rosario Brancato Senior Copywriter Christian Kornheuer Copywriter Marcos Alves
Production Team
Creative Technologist Martin Böing-Messing Production Director Kat Wyeth Chief Production Officer Steffen Gentis Production Company Sehsucht GmbH
Other Credits
Planning Director Benjamin Pleissner Strategic Planner Kyle Duckitt Media Agency Hearts & Science Germany Influencer Agency Intermate Media Client Online Campaigner Hanna Eberhard
Date
September 2020
Background
Every year about eight million tons of plastic is discarded into the oceans of the world. In the water it breaks down into microplastics which are ingested by marine creatures. Now it seems that even species that live in the most remote places on earth have been affected.
Idea
Seven kilometres below sea-level, deep in the Mariana Trench, researchers from Newcastle University discovered a previously unknown species if amphipod.
It was decided to name it Eurythenes Plasticus to highlight the fact that the world needs to take immediate action to stop the deluge of plastic waste in the oceans.
Following the PR story, numerous campaign assets were rolled out across the digital ecosystem, OOH and in installations at museums including the Smithsonian Institute.
Results
The campaign had an estimated reach of 1.4 billion in 93 countries, with an earned media value of €12 million. 410,000 people have interacted with the museum installations and by mid-November, 1.992 million people had signed the WWF petition.
As you can at: https://wwf.panda.org/get_involved/campaign_with_us/plastics_campaign_page/
Our Thoughts
The irony of our current circumstances is that while countries close their borders, globalism has never been more evident. A global pandemic, global climate change and a global problem with plastics. Arguably the greatest threat to human health is the last of these. If nano plastics can affect the brains of fish through the food chain and lead to abnormal behaviour, they can do the same to homo sapiens. Though in the ways we continue to pollute the environment we appear to be completely mad already.