AMV BBDO London picks Aussie collective The Glue Society to help SHEBA put ‘HOPE’ on the map
The plight and fragility of the world’s coral reefs are well documented with scarce excuse for optimism. However, the latest campaign from SHEBA promises to change that script with help from Aussie collective The Glue Society.
As part of MARS’ ongoing Sustainable in a Generation Plan, a team of marine biologists have designed a system where they can naturally restore coral reefs at speeds of up to four times quicker than normal conditions. They have been actively developing the restoration method in the Coral Triangle for over thirteen years with the program now moving into Australia and Mexico. The culmination of all that expertise has been brought together to create @ShebaHopeGrows.
To bring this story to life and capture the broader public imagination, AMV BBDO worked with an international team of production partners to create a 150 foot-long thriving coral reef, spelling out the word ‘HOPE’. Something that is visible on Google Earth.
The installation was planted in August 2019 on a site of dead coral rubble off the coast of Sulawesi, Indonesia.
Says Jane Wakely CMO, Mars, Incorporated: “At Mars, we want to harness the power of our brands to make a positive difference. We know that our consumers expect great quality food for their pets but they also want a brand that make a positive difference. The loss of the world’s coral reefs requires urgent attention, and with our Sheba Hope Grows campaign, we want to show the world that positive change to our oceans is possible and create a movement to grow hope.”
Says Alex Grieve, chief creative officer at AMV BBDO: “An extraordinary problem requires an extraordinary solution. All the traditional ways of working had to be abandoned and reimagined. In the end the most audacious idea became the idea. The way to save the world’s coral reefs was to build a coral reef. A literal symbol of ‘Hope’.”
The Glue Society’s role included the direction of a number of documentary films centering on the installation and gradual growth of the reef, from the valuable involvement of the local community, its underwater construction and its positive impact on fish numbers.
Says director Paul Bruty of The Glue Society: “For a brand like Sheba to be taking such direct responsibility for their practices is admirable and heartening. Learning that this was the culmination and continuation of over thirteen years of research and active coral reef restoration made it apparent this was a project with authentic ambition – and a story well worth telling and sharing.”
Client: MARS
Brand: SHEBA
Client Name: Denise Truelove, Sam West, Jane Wakely
Creative Agency: AMV BBDO
CCO: Alex Grieve
ECDs: Nadja Lossgott and Nicholas Hulley
Creative Directors: Andre Hull, Clark Edwards, Mario Kerkstra (art director)
Creative Team: Clark Edwards & Andre Hull, Mat Scholes & Pieter Rossouw, Ricardo Porto & Victor Bustani
Creative Design Director: Mario Kerkstra
Agency Planning Team: Emily Brydon, Brian Williamson, Talitha Turbin, Lola Finney-Neves
Agency Account Team: Laura Balfour, Ella Dolding, Ella Fanshawe, Alice Kasappian, Maddie Burnell
Agency Producer: Nick Godden, Leonie Chaudhry, Adrienn Major, Shail Mehta, Felicity Bamber, Freya Axworthy, Claire Nolan, Vicki Lavington, Laura Rawdon
Media Agency: Mediacom
Production Partners: Framestore, Biscuit Filmworks, Revolver, The Glue Society, weareseventeen, Google (Bryan Ruiz), Indo Pacific Films, Flare Production, Make Me Pulse, W3, King Henry
Director: ‘HOPE grows’: Murray Butler, Framestore
Director: ‘The Making of Hope Reef’: Paul Bruty, The Glue Society (Biscuit Filmworks/Revolver)
Documentary Cinematographer: Jay Torta
Production Co. Producer: ‘HOPE grows’ – Sophie Harrison
Production Co. Producers: ‘The Making of Hope Reef’ – Jasmin Helliar & Ian Iveson, Revolver
Edit: Maia Lloyd @ Shortcut Club
Post-production Company: Framestore & Flare Productions
Sound studio: ECHOLAB. Song composer Biggi Hilmars for Radford Music
Audio Post-production: ECHOLAB
Digital Design Company: Make Me Pulse
Digital & Social Art Director: Mat Scholes & Pieter Rossouw, Mario Kerkstra
Digital & Social Copywriter: Mat Scholes & Pieter Rossouw, Hermione Wright
PR Agency: Freuds (global) and Weber-Shandwick (US)
10 Comments
Is there at least some weird and horrible connection to the brand, like the fish that can now thrive in this reef get caught and then ground up into cat food?
“Cats love fish and it’s important to provide our cherished friends with the high-quality food they crave, but that should never come at the expense of the planet.”
Better off spending your money on supporting free cat desexing campaigns to keep cat numbers under control and reduce the need to strip the oceans for cat food.
Top work by Clandre and GS. xo
Who on earth approves the budget to produce this kind of bland, boring and self indulgent work. It’s terrible.
there are *12* creatives and 4 planners listed in the creds. To do what? To make this mess?
And the only original part – ‘watch & share this video and the funds it raises get donated to the cause’ – is ripped off from a thing that Colenso did for Pedigree 6 years ago.
All in all, an utter fail.
Man, this is like the pile on to support SSM.
You can be green or blue or whatever, but fuck me, this is terrible. Make a reef for cat food? Green/Blue washing at its best.
I feel like im on an episode of the office.
Literally any other idea would be better than this! Also… HOPE – ugh – do I need to be explain how fucking lame that is?
directors, creatives, producers, production companies –> no wonder it’s a shamozzle.
You can throw 100s of people at it but at the end of the day a bad idea is a bad idea.
This is the worst Cannes-bait I’ve ever seen
You’ve got to be kidding. Have you honestly spent possibly near a million dollars on creating a reef to help produce more fish to be turned into cat food through a process that polluted the ocean? Wow. Just wow.