Whales & Dolphins | CLIMATE GIANTS

Saving our mightiest ally in the fight against climate change

The Brief.

Reposition whales as crucial partners in tackling the most pressing issue of our time – the Climate Crisis.

Renew their role as symbols of hope and inspiration in conservation at COP26.

The Insight.

To stand out at COP26, the global conversation around whales needed to change. It was fundamental to challenge the narrative that we should simply feel sorry for declining whale populations, and instead see whales as a crucial and life-saving ally in the fight against climate change.

We wanted to stand out with a completely new message of hope – so were keen to avoid traditional themes of green and plastic. Instead, we landed on a direct, urgent and powerful film, appealing directly to the viewer with a stark warning about our future.

Research showed that a huge segment of the population would support WDC not because they specifically cared about whales, but because they cared about our planet.

Amogst this group there is an increase prevalence of climate anxiety, feeling starved of a solution, and fatigued by contradictory messages around things like rainforests and carbon offsetting.

A series of key messages were developed, based on this motivator, that focused on fighting climate change with a tangible and alternative solution to tree planting. This led to the simple campaign proposition: ‘Climate Giants. Save the whale, save the world’.

The Work.

Campaign Proposition and Messaging
Creative Approach and Concepting
DRTV and Film Production, Direction, Social Content

The concept represents the enormity of the challenge through its visuals – a tiny boat at the whim of the ocean’s power. It reinforces how big the problem is, and how, in the face of such adversity, it can feel hard to navigate or make meaningful change.

Enlisting the help of Game of Thrones star and WDC patron, Jerome Flynn, the film begins with a close up of our lead character, alone in a precarious position surrounded by a never-ending sea.

With a quiet but urgent tone, he describes the precarious situation of our planet. He speaks directly to the viewer, reminding us that we are all, indeed, in the same boat. The ocean behind him is still, but the mood of the film and the urgency of his words imply that a storm is brewing.

Wise and reassuring, he brings home the central solution as the viewer is submerged under the surface to catch a glimpse of the whale: our mightiest ally in the fight against climate change.