Last week in Britomart, New Zealand mobile phones rang persistently from inside a 2-tonne ice sculpture. It was Earth calling. People could hear the call. No one answered.
The campaign, Answer The Call, by TBWA\NZ for New Zealand telco, 2degrees, consisted of 49 frozen blocks of ice, some with mobile phones inside. It aimed to highlight the urgency of climate change as it escalates worldwide and underlined a key milestone in the telco’s sustainability journey – becoming the first New Zealand telecommunications business to have its target of reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 validated by Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)*.
The ice tower, three metres high and two metres wide and made from 2,500 litres of rainwater in Britomart’s Takutai Square, turned the heads of thousands of people in person and thousands more online. I invited the public to engage with the sculpture – touch the ice and scan the QR code to learn more about 2degrees’ sustainability journey all as Mother Nature took her course.
“We knew we needed something engaging, that would ignite conversation about climate change. It’s a hugely important issue to Kiwis, and a key part of 2degrees’ purpose of fighting of fair. Having our net zero by 2040 target validated is a big deal, and took a lot of work for our team – but we needed a way to promote our Fight for Fair that could engage the public too,” stated Dave Pearce 2degrees GM marketing.
“In recent years we have seen a lot of businesses walk back their net zero targets and this installation was all about stopping people in their tracks and getting them thinking about the harsh reality of climate change and how we need New Zealand businesses to be answering the call again,” added Shane Bradnick, chief creative officer at TBWA\New Zealand. “Answer the Call is a bold, physical reminder that the climate crisis is happening and it’s up to all of us to act before it’s too late. It’s always inspiring when we can work with our client partners to make great work that also inspires change.”
The installation was sustainably planned using rainwater collected throughout winter. The mobile phones frozen inside were able to be reused once the ice had melted.
“The phones symbolically demonstrate the connection between the telecommunications industry and the need to act for the climate,” Bradnick continued. “It’s bold, it’s immediate, and it taps into the power of visual storytelling to provoke conversation.”
*2degrees’ net-zero by 2024 target is a commitment to reduce 90% of its greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, with investment in initiatives to balance out the remaining 10%. Ten years sooner than the government mandated target.
Credits:
Client: 2degrees
Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer: Zac Summers
GM Marketing: Dave Pearce
Senior Marketing Manager – Brand and Creative: Haley Featonby
Head of Communications: Quentin Reade
Head of Sustainability and Purpose: Rebecca Lindegger
Senior Sustainability Manager: Justine Gabriel
Chief Customer Officer: Emma-Kate Greer
Creative Agency: TBWA/New Zealand
Creative Executive Officer: Catherine Harris
Chief Creative Officer: Shane Bradnick
Creative Partners: Ashley Wilding & Dan Davison
General Manager: Simon Mills
Senior Business Director: Cassie Lapsley
Eleven PR: Eleisha Balmer & Bella Ramdhanie
Media: OMD New Zealand – Harry Chapman
Production Company: AO Studios
Managing Director: Paul Courtney
Senior Producer: Ash Brown
Executive Producer: Scott Chapman
Rollercoaster: Paul Skinner & Greg Skinner
Paradice Ice: Jabel Martin
Orbit Marketing: Brand Ambassadors
Content Capture DOP: Michael LaHood
