Background

As the world began to realise the impending dangers of single-use plastic, National Geographic led the cause to make people aware about how serious the entire situation actually was.It was the apt time for the brand to use its in-depth knowledge and research to bring the world together in the fight against plastic. That’s how the campaign titled ‘Planet or Plastic’ was born. With its grand global launch, the campaign had already made waves across world media and found favour with environmentalists, but the Indian netizens, specially the Millennials, were yet to act upon it. National Geographic wanted to drive home its point and make these social media habitats mindful of the consequences, eventually making them pledge to minimise the use of plastic.But it wasn’t easy to leave a mark in the fast-paced digital world, where almost everything is ephemeral. The challenge was to get the message across successfully.

Describe the creative idea

Ironically, the solution was found in the problem itself. We took the short-lived Facebook story, that typically stays for 24 hours, and turned it into a ‘Story that Stays’, just like the long-lasting plastic. The trick was to auto-update the story every 24 hours, so it looks permanent and makes the user realise that plastic does not go away overnight. In fact, it stays, long after everything else is gone. The story was hard-hitting and got the attention of the Social Media savvy world in a way they have never seen before. Soon, the campaign garnered a lot of traction, and the netizens started to take a note, eventually signing up for the cause. And that’s how this innovative use of Facebook story led to a radical change in the thought and actions of the audience, taking the fight against plastic further and in turn, helping the planet.

Describe the strategy

As per the data in June 2018, in India, 80% of total plastic consumption is discarded as waste and official statistics say the country generates 25,940 tonnes of waste daily. At least 40% of this is uncollected. (Source: Economic Times) These increasing concerns about the plastic pollution has made global raise red flags, resulting in them urging people to act against its usage. So, when National Geographic decided to do its part in India, it wanted to make sure that this goes beyond awareness, and leads to action. Our research showed that to reach out to the Indian Millennial, we needed to target them at (virtual) places they mostly frequented. Hence, the most popular social media network (Facebook) was chosen to promote the campaign in India. But we used it in a way that our audience has never seen before - by turning an ephemeral story into a permanent one.

Describe the execution

To get the attention and to make our audience join the cause, it was important to talk to them in their language, in a way that makes them think. So, we began with identifying the ideal platform, where the cause will find a lasting impact. Ironically, the long-lasting impact we were looking for, was found in the short-lived Facebook stories. Cyber citizens are typically used to seeing a story disappear after a span of 24 hours, But not in our case. Our story was imperishable, just like all the plastic. The trick was to auto-update the story after exactly 24 hours so that it looks lasting, exactly like plastic does, long after it has been discarded. When the story kept reappearing, it caught users’ attention and the word started to spread across our audience.

List the results

As the visibility of the campaign grew, it became a talking point, with engagement increasing manifolds. The media houses started talking about this unusual Facebook Story. People started engaging with the brand to join the effort and eventually, it all led up to the commitments to 'Refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle and dispose plastic responsibly. Results Total story views – 14 Million Volunteer for pledge – 2.5 Million