Advertising agency BBH is creating global warming-themed ads for the World Wide Fund for Nature and the China Environmental Protection Foundation, and these ads will be placed in Shanghai's new subway stations.
"In Shanghai, the economy is booming. For most people here, environmental issues are the last thing they want to think about. People tend to care more about getting rich and living a fabulous life," says Jasmine Huang, BBH account director. "We turned this to our advantage. By emphasizing the contrast between `superficial' fashion advertising and the serious message of global warming, we've created a series of ads that are more eye-catching and appealing than your average charity campaign, yet still get a powerful message across."
Shanghai Metro has celebrated the opening of new subway lines 6, 8 and 9 with a joint-venture between JCDecaux and Getty Images, who have given 18 advertising agencies, including BBH, space to express their creativity in the new metro lines. Working with WWF to promote its recent global warming report, "Climate Solutions – WWF's vision for 2050" with ads for both WWF and CEPF, BBH China's award-winning creative team say they stayed away from the conventional in environmental advertising, which often takes a formal tone and a threatening outlook.
BBH's ad campaign for WWF shows humans with gills, fins and webbed hands, depicting a vision of how humans might adapt to a world ravaged by global warming. The message of the campaign is "simple solutions to deal with global warming." The ad encourages viewers to visit WWF's website to learn about small steps they can take to help the environment.
For its related ad campaign for CEPF, BBH created a series of stylized, tongue-in-cheek fashion spreads from "the future." The photo spreads looks like they came from the pages of Vogue magazine, but the fashions themselves are not quite what you'd expect. The accessories depict what future fashions might look like if global warming continues on its current course. BBH sought to shake-up viewers' expectations with the surprising content of the ads.
