WWF and the UN have called on the ad industry’s talents to give sustainability the irresistible appeal it needs.
Experts estimate that only 1% of the materials used to produce consumer goods are still in use six months after sale. It’s urgent that consumer attitudes shift now and make sustainability a priority choice for people everywhere.
The partners have launched a competition called Project Extraordinary to develop a short-form video concept that demonstrates how sustainability is desirable, and sexy, to encourage one billion consumers globally to make more than 50% of their purchases based on sustainability as one of the top three decision triggers by 2020.
The competition will be judged by a jury made up of the who’s who of conservation and blue-chip brands aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The winner will be chosen from the three highly commended finished films, by the panel members of the How to Make Sustainability Sexy forum.
The winning film will premiere at this forum on June 19 at Cannes Lions 2018 and be featured at the UN Summit in New York in July.
Chief marketing officer for WWF-Australia, Yves Calmette, commented, “The challenge is out there to reinvent and reframe the way consumers think. We need them to be making sustainable choices whenever they start shopping, be it their food, clothes, furniture, anything. Currently there is a disconnect between what people believe and how they shop.
“Up to 70% of the planet’s biodiversity has been lost in the last 50 years, so we really need to act now. Australia has some of the best creative minds, so it would be wonderful to see a local creative agency take the prize and get to showcase their work at Cannes and New York.
“The urgency is there, both for the planet and for agencies to get their submissions in to win this world-changing competition.”
Director general WWF International, Marco Lambertini, added, “We know what we need to do; the science is there. The challenge is to make sustainability of our planet desirable. Inspirational. Let’s get personal and real. We need to stop talking in generalities and show every consumer in every corner of the globe exactly how they can be part of the solution.”
Entries close at 5pm GMT, Thursday April 12, 2018. Enter here.
