Title	OCEAN VINYL
Brand	SHARP'S BREWERY
Product/Service	RECYCLED RECORD
Category	A08. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) / Corporate Image
Entrant	HAVAS LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
Idea Creation	HAVAS LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
PR	ONE GREEN BEAN LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
Production	HAVAS LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM

Name	Company	Position
Mark Whelan	Havas London	Executive Creative Director
Brodie King	Havas London	Copywriter
Owen Hunter Jenkins	Havas London	Art director
Alice Marsh	Havas London	Business Director
Andrew Symonds	Havas London	Account Manager
Katy David	Havas London	Account Executive
Kiri Hammond	Havas London	Agency Executive Producer (film)
Mary Musasa	Havas London	Agency Producer (film)
James Orr	Havas London	Agency producer (print)
Ravi Matharu	Havas London	Strategy Director
Clare Phayer	Havas London	Planner

Why is this work relevant for Brand Experience & Activation?

This is the story of a brand protecting what matters to it most. The ocean. The same ocean that inspired the creation of Sharp’s Atlantic pale ale. This is the story of how a beer brand joined forces with a musician and record label to make an idea from the very problem that pollutes its seas. Transforming washed-up plastic to create a new medium with Ocean Vinyl. A powerful vehicle to highlight the devastating effects of ocean pollution, turning the tide on single-use plastic. A powerful combination of entertainment and brand activation to change attitudes and evoke a behavioural response.

background

Sharp’s Brewery is committed to protecting the Atlantic, the ocean that surrounds its home and inspires its brewing process. It even named a beer after it! It’s the reason why Sharp’s created music using sounds from the Atlantic in 2018, and signed the “act” to Universal under the stage name Keynvor - Cornish for “ocean” - with all royalties going to fund its protection. Build on the success of Keynvor and develop the next iteration of the platform with a new, exciting and highly PR’able brand activation. Raise awareness of Sharp’s commitment to combating ocean plastic in the Atlantic and build an emotional connection with its audience. ● Position Sharp’s Atlantic as a contemporary brand in tune with the demands of the 21st Century drinker. ● Develop a unique collaboration to demonstrate Sharp’s commitment to reducing ocean plastic and take credit for the activation. ● Raise £10,000: Surfers Against Sewage

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

Sharp’s Atlantic created the first playable vinyl made from washed up plastic from the Atlantic. Giving music-lovers the chance to own something that’s made out of ‘single-use’ plastic, something they’ll treasure forever, whilst highlighting the devastating effects of plastic-pollution in our seas. We needed a voice, someone equally passionate about ocean conservation. An artist with a loyal fanbase. An artist with scale and influence. This came in the form of Nick Mulvey. We commissioned the Mercury-nominated artist to write a song with an environmental theme, exploring the responsibility and the future of humanity. The result: In the Anthropocene. A song about the geological age we live in, and the influence humans have over Earth’s ecosystem. We pressed a limited-run on vinyl, 105 copies in total, each one unique. All proceeds from sales and streams supported Surfers Against Sewage to fund essential ocean protection projects in the Atlantic Ocean.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

The cask ale category is perceived as stale with no real taste for innovation. Drinkers are turning to beers with personality. Craft beers. IPAs. Those who stand up, stand out and believe in something; a cause, a creation, a community. We needed a credible way in. The Atlantic was it. The ocean that surrounds Sharp’s brewery. The same sea that dictates when we down tools and surf. As guardians of the Cornish coast, it had a responsibility to protect it. This was how to engage the modern drinker. By leaning into the sustainability agenda, in particular plastic pollution, and using music, the biggest passion of all, to deliver the message. We would make the idea from the problem, recycling washed up plastic to create a new medium with Ocean Vinyl. An innovation that could carry the message and be the message. To influence popular culture and change attitudes through entertainment.

Describe the execution (30% of vote)

Plastic was collected from beaches across Cornwall and processed into working vinyl by a bespoke manufacturer. One-hundred-and-five copies were pressed. The Anthropocene used sounds recorded direct from the ocean. At launch, the track was available to stream via digital services, including Spotify and Apple Music, or purchase via Drift Records as a collectible piece. We created a 30-second trailer with his track, the vinyl spinning on a Cornish beach before outlining the process to create it; from collecting plastic bottles to manually adding multi-coloured fragments to the disc. Nick Mulvey’s appearance on Sky News ensured the news travelled like wildfire - in TV, print, online, radio - where he extolled the virtues of Ocean Vinyl and the message behind it. Music and environmental influencers rallied behind the project and ingenious format. We held an auction for the last remaining vinyl, signed by the artist himself.

List the results (30% of vote)

Not only did we create a new track, we created a new medium with Ocean Vinyl. A product with purpose, reminding people of the damage being done to our oceans. A smartly-designed-solution that puts a long-term value value on objects. From a disposable mindset to a love of craft and care. The same mindset that underpins Sharp’s Atlantic Beer. The vinyl sold out within three-minutes of going live. The signed-copy raised £500 with more finding their way onto eBay. The media lapped it up. Sky News described it as a “work of art’ in a three-minute breakfast slot. The vinyl featured in all of its heavenly glory on the BBC’s flagship Jools Holland Show with Nick Mulvey performing the track. Our message reached 24 million people in total. The song was blasted out at the Extinction Rebellion climate protest with chants of “This is our Song”. Entertainment truly infiltrated culture.