The Brief

2013 broke all records in China for the worst air pollution ever, only to see records again broken the first few months of 2014. With the Beijing government showing little or no sign of doing much to reverse the hazardous trend, WWF China wanted to do something to have citizens to begin to take steps to make a difference.

Creative Execution

The strength of the app was in its simplicity and its relevance. Here, we launched at a time when everyone was concerned about the pollution, and at a time when people wanted to voice their opinion as well as play a part in getting the word out about wanting a cleaner sky. At the same time, citizens, knowing they can't rely on the government to fix everything, have begun to look to WWF to help them gain a voice to influence. So this useful, sharable piece well supported the position of the brand, while fitting in with its goals.

Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective.

With severe pollution getting even worse, the timing was perfect for an app that take peoples' normal photography habits and hijack it to make an interactive process go social. Sharing the before and after pictures was both utilitarian, as it allowed photos to look better, and environmentally important, as it enabled users to provide a statement of what should be with a simple post. The signing function also provided a way for citizens to collectively show their solidarity for the blue sky movement, and cleaner air to breath.

Results

The Blue Sky app gained popularity and media recognition on CCTV and other stations as well as countless blogs and other media, including Huffington Post and the Wall Street Journal. The sharing and media coverage got people thinking of smart new ways they could make a difference, individually and in groups. This was the first time the use of technology and social media in China have combined to put the environmental agenda in the hands of the people. “Imagine Beijing with endless blue skies. There’s an app for that” -Wall Street Journal “Ingenious . . . they were able to see an opportunity in all that gloom.” -Huffington Post Additionally, we have now received the following update from the entrant: WWF client informs us that total digital interactions from the campaign totaled a whopping 67 million! Also, we asked Meltwater, the media watch/ad value calculation company, to put a dollar value to the coverage received, which was US$1.2 million, all without any media budget push.