WWF is encouraging the UK public to get their ‘daily dose of nature’ in their latest A Prescription for Nature campaign, in collaboration with Uncommon Creative Studio.
It may be that a taboo subject has been normalised. It may be that the stresses of modern life have increased (hard to imagine stresses greater than WW1, WW2 and the Great Depression). Mental health has become. Crisis in the UK, with one in six people reporting a common mental health problem in any given week across England [1].
Uncommon Creative Studio and WWF have a prescription to ease that problem. Their campaign, A Prescription for Nature, starring ITV This Morning’s Dr Sara Kayat, is prescribing nature to the nation. The natural world is a powerful ally in protecting our mental health. Just the sight of nature can provide a boost to our wellbeing, from enjoying the great outdoors to catching a glimpse of it on our screens. At the heart of the campaign is the statistic that just 20 minutes in nature each day is enough to make a positive impact on our mental wellbeing [2, 3].
The campaign makes its point visually with a striking juxtaposition of heartwarming scenes of nature against the clinical coldness of pharmaceutical packaging.
The campaign film features ITV This Morning’s resident doctor Dr Sara Kayat opens on a familiar one for many: a doctor’s surgery, patient appointment, pen and prescription. However, this is no ordinary prescription, rather, “a daily dose of nature”, Dr Sara Kayat addressing the audience directly to explain that just 20 minutes a day in nature has the ability to significantly decrease stress levels, ease anxiety, while also boosting mood.
Lisa Lee, executive director of brand, campaigns & communications at WWF, stated, “At WWF our job is to restore nature, but through this campaign we want to remind people that nature can help restore us too. Whether looking at a rainbow, listening to birdsong, or jumping in a puddle and getting your trainers muddy, nature can make you feel good — proven to help reduce anxiety and improve mood. If we can encourage everyone to connect with nature, we can also drive support for our efforts to protect it and make the changes needed to help bring our world back to life. We love the familiarity of the prescription to explain how a daily dose of nature can be a way to improve our wellbeing.”
Matt Curtis, design director at Uncommon Creative Studio, added, “The juxtaposition of the natural world against the clinical ephemera of pharmaceutical packaging is unusual and uncomfortable. They are not natural allies, so it makes you stop and take notice. Nature is our greatest remedy, the medicine for our soul — which we all need to remember.”
Dr Sara Kayat commented, “The UK is experiencing a mental health crisis, and as a doctor it’s clear to me that we need to help everyone improve their wellbeing. Nature is a powerful ally in protecting our mental health. Being in nature for just 20 minutes a day can help us cope with stress and anxiety. As both a doctor and a lover of nature this cause is close to my heart, and I want to encourage everyone to get their daily dose of nature — whether outdoors or at home — because everyone deserves better mental health.”
In celebration of the campaign’s launch, WWF is also reviving its much-loved, multisensory “forest den” in major cities across the UK, including London, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Cardiff and Manchester, and inviting the public to step into nature’s therapeutic embrace and catch a momentary break from the rush of city life. With WWF’s recent research revealing that half of the public would like to spend more time in nature, including almost 60% of people living in urban city centres, the forest den is designed to provide a nature break among the public’s busy everyday routines. [4]
WWF’s A Prescription for Nature will run across TV, VOD and cinema, in addition to the campaign running in numerous out of home panels throughout the UK until the end of October.
WWF is the winner of ITV’s inaugural Head First award, which builds on ITV’s Get Britain Talking campaign and offers a £1m advertising airtime prize through ITV’s new advertising initiative, shining a spotlight on mental wellbeing.
- More in Common polled 2,083 people, representative of the GB population between 16th and 19th August 2024.
- [1] Mental health statistics: prevalence, services and funding in England — House of Commons Library (parliament.uk)
- [2] Spending at least 120 minutes a week in nature is associated with good health and wellbeing. Sci Rep 9, 7730. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-44097-3
- [3] Nature-based outdoor activities for mental and physical health: Systematic review and meta-analysis — ScienceDirect
- [4] More In Common x WWF research — August 2024
