The World Wildlife Fund launched a new campaign at the height of the Paris Summer Olympics, using the occasion to highlight climate records instead of athletic achievements.
"The Climate Games," created in partnership with agency TRY Norway and production house Aparent, is a 60-second Olympic spot that isn't about the Olympics at all.
Instead, it points out the alarming increase in climate disasters over the last few years, including:
- The largest wildfire in Europe (Greece, August-September 2023)
- The longest-lasting tropical cyclone (Mozambique, February 2023)
- The warmest Autumn in history (France, September 2023)
- The wettest July ever in Northern Pakistan (Pakistan, July 2023)
- Over 3,900 wildfires in the Pantanal (Brazil, November 2023)
Most importantly, the spot highlights that 2023 was the hottest year recorded in human history, with new national heat records experienced in China, Thailand, Bangladesh, Haiti, DR Congo, Oman, Yemen, and Peru.
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WWF Global Climate and Energy Lead Manuel Pulgar-Vidal spoke at length about the company's efforts to create change in a press release.
According to him, world leaders need to display the same dedication and effort shown by sporting champions to make meaningful steps toward climate rehabilitation.
Pulgar-Vidal also highlighted sectors that could use improvements, such as energy efficiency and industry decarbonization.
The spot aired on French TV on August 4, right before the men's 100-meter final.
The campaign, which takes a considerably different approach to the more traditional Olympic marketing, will also run across social media, as well as OOH in Paris.
An Urgent Reminder
The ad begins with recordings of sports commentary playing over clips of climate disasters around the world.
It cleverly matches phrases with corresponding footage, creating a sense of foreboding and tension.
A clip of a wildfire, for instance, is combined with the voice of a sports commentator saying, "The arena is heating up."
Further clips of climate disasters are interspersed with recordings of sports highlights from their respective countries, giving them a certain irony.
The spot ends with a single statement: "Together, we can change the game," followed by a call to #ChangeClimateChange.
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WWF also highlighted how money spent restoring the Seine (a whopping $1.5 billion) to prepare for the Olympic and Paralympic Games "will outlast a single sporting event."
As it gains a large viewership during the Olympics, one can only hope that the spot touches the right viewers, enacting change in the foreseeable future.
Environmental ads have evolved to become more creative over the years in an effort to command more attention.
A campaign released by Greenpeace France earlier this year used horror tropes in an entertaining series of ads to call attention to pressing environmental issues.
Editing by Katherine 'Makkie' Maclang
