How Innocean Gave a Voice to the Sea with an Aussie Icon
Aussie kids love nothing more than nature. Our backyards are filled with the weird and wonderful creatures that scare the pants off Amercans, and we love it. It’s a badge of honour that comes with growing up in Australia amidst all the snakes, spiders, and sharks.
A part of this pride is the need to protect and preserve our wildlife, from the land to the sea.
We take great pride in our stunning beaches, lagoons, ponds and of course, our billabongs. However, with rising concerns surrounding the state of the planet there are many actions that need to be taken.
From the need to emphasise with the sea and all the creatures it holds and the want to protect our wildlife, Aussie legend John Williamson, the Australian Marine Conservation Society, and Innocean created ‘The Voice Of The Sea.”
An anthem for our beloved water, a call to action, a reminder that our seas should be a priority was born. With the familiarity of ‘A Home Among the Gum Trees’ they have created a song that will live on for generations.
Embedding themselves into school curriculums, end of year concerts and picture books in the hopes that if the adults won’t listen to each other, hopefully, they will listen to the children.
Creative’s Charlotte Berry, Laura Parker, and client partner, Carolyn Cho from Innocean speak to LBB’s Casey Martin to express the hope that conservation will become common conversation among Australians.
LBB> Talk us through this journey, what has been a highlight of the ‘Voice of the Sea’ project?
Laura> Working alongside the Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) was an absolute privilege. To know that you’re on a brief that can action real-world change and create a lasting cultural impact was a lot of pressure, but it also made the whole process (challenging or not) one of the most rewarding we’ve ever worked through.
Carolyn> Conservation isn’t an easy issue to address; we know audiences switch off to bad news, so from the beginning of this journey we wanted to empower communities by taking a new approach. We turned to the power of music, inviting school children to lend their voice to our environmental anthem and infiltrate Australian culture.
Charlotte> We had always aspired to create the ‘Home Among the Gum Trees’ of the sea, so when John Williamson said he was interested we couldn’t believe our luck. I still remember the screams when Warner confirmed he was in. Squeals of excitement became a running theme, from the first school signing up to sing the song, to making the national news, to the NSW Department of Education inviting us to be part of the syllabus, to Penguin publishing a children’s book. Oh, and then of course, the ecstatic screaming when we all won the inaugural ARIA for the advertising category.
LBB> What was something that might surprise people about the process of putting “The Voice of the Sea” together, especially considering Innocean has been part of its journey from song to picture book?
Laura> This campaign all started with a song written in-house. It was a fun shanty of sorts that called upon Australians to swap the salmon on their plate (mate!) while offering more sustainable suggestions. As a tone-deaf, musically-challenged writer, I never thought I’d stand up and sing to my ECD, our clients and eventually the whole agency. Thankfully John Williamson saw merit in the idea, the importance of the cause, and jumped aboard to create his musical masterpiece - as he does. I can’t help but think of myself as the muse to his masterpiece, Voice of the Sea!
Charlotte> It seemed like fate when the first line of an unfinished love song in his notebook, was flipped into an unrequited love song of the sea - with every lyric becoming a lesson in ocean conservation. There was not a dry eye in the house.
Carolyn> What might seem surprising is that this campaign was never intended to be a song alone but stretched through schools, into lesson plans, into a Penguin children’s book and now the national syllabus. This anthem has become an intergenerational grassroots movement teaching conservation in an entirely different way - the song was the backing track to turn the voices of children into voices of the sea.
LBB> What challenges have you faced during this journey?
Laura> The issue of conservation has never been more daunting; people feel the problem is far bigger than them. It’s a huge challenge to not only engage Australians but also motivate them to change their behaviour. This is why we harnessed the trusted power of music - with its ability to capture the hearts and minds of all generations.
Charlotte> Without a media budget, the idea had to spread itself. So we used the most influential voices when it comes to motivating people to change the future; Australian kids.
Far more influential than paid or earned messaging alone, we launched Voice of the Sea at end-of-year school concerts in front of thousands of watching parents. It has now organically grown into an evergreen movement - so far beyond anything a 30” TVC could deliver for conservation.
Carolyn> This was no easy feat, every day was a hustle. Relentless calls, favours, begging and borrowing from very benevolent partners. It was amazing to see how many talented people lent us their time and skills when they realised the importance of the cause and the power of the idea.
This campaign really became a labour of love for everyone involved. The support we had from Warner Music and John Williamson was incredible, and it strengthened our case to schools and the Department of Education who we were relying on to make this campaign happen.
LBB> What is the hope for “Voice of the Sea?”
Charlotte> As an evergreen platform, we intend to continue integrating Voice of the Sea into culture. This year we will be concentrating on the National Syllabus roll-out as well as partnering with networks and publications to read the book to children on a national scale.
Laura> Ultimately, the campaign is designed to drive conversation and conservation, we can’t wait to see how far it goes and hopefully drive definitive policy change.
LBB> Having worked closely with The Australian Marine Conservation Society for a while now, what has been the most important thing that you’ve learnt during this journey?
Charlotte> Pairing science with creativity is the key to unlocking new ways to engage people in climate change. The scientists and campaigners we work with at AMCS are some of the world’s critical problem solvers. Helping translate these issues with the power of a big idea is a reminder of the vital role creativity plays.
Laura> In addition, as an organisation solely dedicated to protecting Australia’s ocean and marine life, the saying “every dollar counts” has never been more true. There was a pertinent sense of responsibility to deliver a return on investment that had real-world impact.
LBB> How has the work you’ve created for The Australian Marine Conservation Society impacted your work for other clients?
Carolyn> As a non-traditional solution to a well-trodden problem, Voice of the Sea has inspired our clients to look at different ways of communicating. It’s proof that acts can sometimes be more powerful than big, shiny ads.
Now two years on and still evolving, it shows the power of investing in long-term platforms. After all, a great idea has a life of its own.
