TOXIC TOBY CLEAN AIR BEAR
Title | TOXIC TOBY CLEAN AIR BEAR |
Brand | BREEZOMETER |
Product/Service | BREEZOMETER |
Category |
A12. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) / Corporate Image |
Entrant
|
McCANN LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
|
Idea Creation
|
McCANN LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
|
Media Placement
|
McCANN LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
|
PR
|
McCANN LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
|
Production
|
CRAFT LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
|
Credits
Rob Doubal |
McCann London |
Co-President and Chief Creative Officer |
Laurence Thomson |
McCann London |
Co-President and Chief Creative Officer |
Sanjiv Mistry |
McCann London |
Executive Creative Director |
Jamie Mietz |
McCann London |
Executive Creative Director |
James Crosby |
McCann London |
Copywriter |
William Cottam |
McCann London |
Art Director |
Elizabeth Bernstein |
McCann London |
Head of New Business |
Rohin Lalli |
McCann London |
Senior Account Manager |
Nick Kavanagh |
McCann London |
Comms Strategy Partner |
Katya Escala |
McCann London |
Communications Director |
Sergio Lopez |
Craft/McCann |
Chief Production Officer EMEA |
Zara Balfour |
Craft/McCann |
Executive Producer |
Duncan Groves |
Craft/McCann |
Agency Producer |
Nicholas Mugridge |
Craft/McCann |
Business Affairs |
Chris Groves |
Craft/McCann |
Music Supervisor |
Ben Twiston-Davis |
Craft/McCann |
Director |
Adam Beasley |
Craft/McCann |
Editor |
Giselle Hall |
Craft/McCann |
Editor |
Tara Henderson |
McCann London |
Planner |
Paul Gillespie |
McCann London |
Project Manager |
David Smith |
MRM/McCann |
Business Director |
Alex Hegarty |
MRM/McCann |
Senior Interface Developer |
Why is this work relevant for Brand Experience & Activation ?
BreezoMeter provide real-time, location-based air quality data, but it lacked engagement from the public. This campaign took a brand which is hidden away up in the digital cloud and brought it right down to street level by turning boring numbers and charts and into something that is tangible, engaging and easy to understand.
Background
Contributing to 40 times as many deaths than road traffic accidents, air pollution in London is at breaking point and has been dubbed the invisible killer. Our client, BreezoMeter, have made it their mission to combat this by collecting and publishing real-time, location-based air quality data. BreezoMeter challenged us to find a way of liberating their data and educating the public to the immediate dangers of air pollution in order to catalyse action towards alleviating the problem.
Describe the creative idea
Although BreezoMeter’s data provides a unique perspective on air quality data globally, the statistics themselves lacked emotion and humanity and sat on a website that very few people knew about. So we gave pollution data a face. A furry face in the form of a teddy bear named Toxic Toby. He is part roadside memorial, part neighbourhood utility, and connected to BreezoMeter’s real-time air quality data. When pollution reaches harmful levels, Toxic Toby is triggered to raise his paw to his mouth and start coughing, alerting the public to the immediate dangers around them. Simultaneously, an automated Tweet is sent out to local MPs making them aware of the issue and pushing them to act.
Describe the strategy
Air quality forecasts from BreezoMeter were cross-referenced with primary schools in the capital, which meant we could plan the exact locations for Toxic Toby to be effective. BreezoMeter provides air quality data for the 6 main pollutants, all of which at high levels can be seriously damaging to our health. Toxic Toby was live-linked to these readings, and if one pollutant breached the safe limit as recommended by the World Health Organisation, he was instantly triggered to cough. We implemented a two-pronged approach, starting at street level Toxic Toby provoked the public by shedding light on the harmful levels of pollution plaguing the city, and also offered a simple social tool for them to get their voice heard and put pressure on their local MP.
Describe the execution
Toxic Toby launched on Zero Emissions Day on Brixton Road - the most polluted street in London – where he spent the day affixed to a lamppost by a congested road. In the weeks afterwards, he took a tour around some of the most polluted areas in London, popping up near schools to spread his message. So far, Toxic Toby has visited every borough in London, and still continues today. What started a London-centric initiative quickly spread further afield, with the public requesting Toxic Toby to turn up in their neighbourhoods.
List the results
During the campaign, every MP in London was engaged with via Toxic Toby, and many opened up dialogue to find out more. Conversations online around the issue of pollution grew 300%, putting the issue front and centre in the public domain. BreezoMeter saw a distinct rise in brand affinity and placed them amongst extensive online discussions about the issue of air quality. On top of that, they also secured $7.5 million in external investment to grow the company. The campaign garnered huge PR both in the UK and abroad from the likes of the BBC, CBS and The British Lung Foundation, and even caught the attention of the World Health Organisation where we are currently in talks to mass produce Toxic Toby and have him as a permanent fixture in every major city around the world.