Surfrider Foundation: WALL POLLUTION

Credits & Description:

Category: Best Use of Social Media

Advertiser: SURFRIDER FOUNDATION EUROPE

Product/Service: OCEAN INITIATIVES 2012

Agency: Y&R PARIS

Creative Director: Jorge Carreno (Y&R Paris)

Creative Director: Robin De Lestrade (Y&R Paris)

Copy Writer: Julien Bredontiot (Y&R Paris)

Art Director: Laurie Lacourt (Y&R Paris)

Advertising Assistant: Arnaud Marullaz (Y&R Paris)

Production: Joris Dykstra (Wunderman)

Account Supervisor: Clement Chovin (Y&R Paris)

Account Supervisor: Aure Tessandier (Y&R Paris)

Account Supervisor: Sandrine Delabre (Y&R Paris)

Coordinator: Brigitte Trezeguet (Y&R Paris)

Executif Director: Stephane Latxague (Surfrider Foundation Europe)

Advertser Manager: Johanna Borentein (Surfrider Foundation Europe)

Advertiser Manager: Remi Touja (Surfrider Foundation Europe)

Charge Of Communication: Gabriel Gelin (Surfrider Foundation Europe)

Media placement: Digital PR - FACEBOOK - 02 MARCH 2012



Summary of the Campaign

Surfrider waste operation is a virtual pollution campaign aiming at raising awareness about the damages caused by men in the oceans. By using a media that is now part of more than 800 million people’s daily lives, we wanted to confront users with this pollution issue by posting on their Facebook walls a piece of waste with the caption “You just received a piece of waste. Click for more information”. By clicking on the photo, the internet user finds the following message “you didn’t ask to receive this waste? Neither did the sea!” In a few days, more than 2500 of waste photos have been shared without spending a single euro. This virtual pollution has allowed the Surfrider Foundation to recruit more than 36 000 volunteers to participate in the biggest beach, lake, river cleanups organized during the Ocean Initiatives 2012, from the 22nd to the 25th March. Thanks to this event, more than 3000 M3 of waste have been collected. In addition the media coverage has been really successful, with an increase of 40% compared to 2011.



The Situation

The Surfrider Foundation is a grassroots non-profit environmental organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of oceans, waves and beaches through an activist network.



Every second, 206kg of waste is dumped into our oceans. Most of this litter will never completely degrade and only a small proportion will be removed. To fight against marine litter, we must reduce our waste production and prevent it from ending its life cycle in our oceans.



Surfrider Cleanup Days pursue this goal each year for 17 years, by raising individual and collective awareness on the necessity to fight against this pollution.



The Goal

PR are key tools in the Surfrider ecosystem:

- To raise attention of journalists and influencers around this yearly event

- To keep volunteers motivated and proud



But how do we keep media attention after 17 years of existence, and without any paid media support?

We needed to engage with people in a new innovative and different way.



The Strategy

We have focused on the analogy between beaches pollution and a place that is now part of our daily life…

An intimate space in which people hardly tolerate any “pollution”…

A free media…

A powerful network, used by more than 800 000 000 people in the world!



FACEBOOK!



What if our Facebook wall was polluted the same way than the Oceans are?



So this is what we did: we have polluted people and invite them to do the same!



It is a new and more engaging way to raise attention and generate PR around the cause and the Beach Cleanup Days.



Execution

We have designed a very simple Facebook app that let web users choose a piece of waste among six and pollute the wall of a friend of them. Friends then discover a disgusting plastic bag or a dirty soft drink can on their own page. 45



When they click on it, it displays this message: “You neither asked to receive this waste? Neither did the sea. Raise your friends’ awareness about the upcoming beach, lake and river Cleanup Days, by posting waste on their wall”. 39

And the spread goes on by simply sharing waste photos…10



Launched on March 2012, the application has been first hosted on the Surfrider Foundation Europe home page to encourage internet users to post their chosen waste on their Facebook friends’ walls.

In addition, we have also polluted friends, journalists and influencers from The Surfrider Foundation’s acquaintance. 48



Documented Results

530 likes

2 500 shared pieces of waste on Facebook

3 000 m3 of waste cleaned

36 000 volunteers

Media cover: +40% vs 2011



This activation has clearly helped boost media coverage around the Cleanup Days.