ABOUT

Challenge

The London Boroughs of Camden and Islington, alongside representatives from additional London Boroughs, sought a campaign vehicle to challenge long held assumptions around domestic wood burning in inner city London, to support the London Wood Burning Project.

The project set out to warn London residents of the dangers of burning wood in crowded urban areas, whilst raising awareness of its contribution to respiratory diseases such as asthma and lung cancer, because of the PM 2.5 particles it produces.

Strategy

Our task was to develop a creative campaign that could be used across London Boroughs to challenge beliefs that domestic wood burning was without risk. A specific objective of the project was to engage audiences who might be considering installing wood burners in the run up to winter.

Our strategy was to demonstrate that wood burning was harmful to the shared atmosphere that Londoners breathe. We wanted to raise awareness and curiosity, causing the public to reassess their behaviour, leading them to investigate the statistics and studies featured on the London Wood Burning Project website.

Solution

Working with artist, Euan Roberts, we created an illustrated character named ‘Burny’ to act as a striking and memorable visualisation of the air pollution ‘monster’ that results from burning wood.

Burny brings to life the hidden dangers associated with burning wood, in an engaging and accessible way, prompting audiences to re-evaluate their previously held beliefs.

Results

The creative message sparked conversations and was featured in print and digital publications across London, including The Standard and The Times.

And most importantly, the campaign reached around 2 in 3 of adults in London, delivering over 71.8 million impressions and 19.4 million on OOH alone.