Title	PIGEON AIR PATROL
Brand	PLUME LABS
Product/Service	PLUME LABS
Category	C04. Response / Real-time Activity
Entrant	DIGITASLBi London, UNITED KINGDOM
Idea Creation	DIGITASLBi London, UNITED KINGDOM

Name	Company	Position
Matt Steward	DigitasLBi	Managing Director
Chris Clarke	DigitasLBi	Chief Creative Officer, International
Pierre Duquesnoy	DigitasLBi	Group Creative Director
Nikki Stammers	DigitasLBi	Strategy Director
Helen Fuchs	DigitasLBi	Executive Creative Director
Jasmin Kocur	DigitasLBi	Media Strategy Director
Cirine Drira	DigitasLBi	Content Strategist
Stuart Aitken	DigitasLBi	Head of Content
Katie Carruthers	DigitasLBi	Creative Director
Ben Sandhu	DigitasLBi	Design Director
Alan Chu	DigitasLBi	Designer
Darryl Morton	DigitasLBi	Lead Technologist
Kevin Mar-Molinero	DigitasLBi	Creative Technologist
Thomas Hill	DigitasLBi	Developer
David Lamb	DigitasLBi	Lead Producer
Julia Conroy	DigitasLBi	International PR & Marketing Director

The Campaign

The world’s first flock of avian environmental crusaders, The Pigeon Air Patrol flew around London equipped with Plume’s tiny air-pollution sensors. The Patrol monitored air-quality in real time – sharing results live on Twitter as they flew. And anyone tweeting @PigeonAir received an instant update on pollution in their local area, from the nearest Patrol pigeon flying above them. The two biggest things pigeons allowed us to do were: i) Easily uncover important data during times when pollution levels are said to be the most toxic – the morning and evening rush hours, when London is otherwise gridlocked. ii) Quickly deliver localised air-pollution data in a disruptive, engaging and newsworthy way. Pigeons not only made the subject of air-pollution more accessible, it made it something people wanted to talk about. It also allowed us to inject some wit and change the tone of the conversation.

Campaign Success

We fitted ten pigeons with custom backpacks containing pollution sensors. Then, over 3 days, released them across London during rush hour. Going where no bike, car or drone can, they quickly gathered and shared data at the times when air quality is worst. Anyone tweeting their location to @PigeonAir got an instant response from a pigeon including: i) Local air pollution levels ii) Lively info-graphics showing the risks of air pollution iii) A prompt to visit www.pigeonairpatrol.com On the campaign site people could: - View pigeons’ flight paths live - Learn about air pollution risks - Download Plume’s app with advice to help protect themselves - Join the Air Patrol by beta testing a wearable Plume Labs device. All messaging had a unified tone of voice, which was witty, direct and accessible. And one unified visual treatment that was deliberately bright and colourful to grab attention in the Twitter feed.

Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results

– Over 2,000 news stories globally (*highlights below) – Over 667 million impressions – Nearly 40,000 #PigeonAir mentions – Facebook Trending Topic – 93% of those who engaged said they cared more about air pollution as a result – a key predictor of behaviour change. – Crowdfunding goal exceeded inside 3 days. – Backed by the £10,000 raised, Plume Labs can now make 100 wearables for new Air Patrol members to beta test… Soon there will be a human-powered monitoring network across London. * Highlights of global outlets running this story: Time magazine, Al Jazeera, The Guardian, Wired, the Evening Standard, TechCrunch, ITV, Discovery Channel, NPR, NBC News, Mashable, New Scientist, Washington Post, CNN, New York Post, Engadget, ABC Australia, Newsweek, Les Echos, Metro, TechRadar, Wall Street Journal, Time Out, The Independent, The Mirror, Forbes, Mail Online, BBC News, New Scientist, Fast Company, CNET, Marie Claire, Sky News and CBS.

Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service

This original idea has been entered into the Promo & Activation category because it generated a huge amount of interaction with a life-improving service. London’s air pollution problem used to be hard to visualize, hard to measure and even harder for the public to act on at a local level. Which, considering pollution levels can vary even from street to street, is an important opportunity missed. As well as overcoming the above obstacles, this campaign also removed one of air pollution’s most powerful weapons – invisibility. Thanks to huge amounts of public participation, we brought London’s air-pollution problem to life.

TARGET AUDIENCE Everyone who lives and/or works in London. APPROACH & PLATFORM Make air pollution a problem too relevant for Londoners to ignore by personalising the issue and explaining the risks. Collect and instantly share data that communicate air pollution is everywhere, all the time, and that levels vary by location – even from street to street. Twitter was the most relevant platform for this as it allowed us to connect with people in an open, personalised way – sharing relevant data they could act on. It was also ideal for spreading the conversation fast to a broader audience, and fuelled media interest. To propagate conversation and get traction on Twitter we used groups covering: Local interest – e.g. @TimeOutLondon @EveningStandard Outdoor activities – e.g. @cyclingweekly, @runnersworld Commuting – e.g. @TfLTrafficNews @BBCTravelAlert Respiratory health charities – @AsthmaUK Existing conversations about the environment using keywords such as ‘emissions’, ‘smog’ ‘climate change’.