Santa Relocation Project for Greenpeace

WAIT… Santa is moving?

 

As people around the world get ready to celebrate the holidays, Greenpeace has collaborated with BBH LA on a project to find a new home for Santa. The Santa Relocation Project – part of Greenpeace’s wider Save the Arctic campaign [http://savethearctic.org/] – brings to life a fantastical, yet all too possible, future in which Arctic melting is forcing one of the world’s most beloved and iconic Christmas figures, Santa Claus, to relocate from the North Pole. 

 

In a departure from traditional non-profit marketing efforts, Greenpeace has collaborated with BBH LA on a pro bono basis to apply entertainment-marketing strategies and raise awareness of the Arctic cause. A series of “story hooks” for the Santa Relocation Project have been scattered throughout the physical and digital worlds, referencing holiday rituals and social behaviour to build an engaged audience.

 

 

• Facebook/Twitter – The Greenpeace Save the Arctic campaign page on Facebook serves as the Santa Relocation Project hub, housing images of a melting North Pole, information about the project and the compelling provocation: If we don’t slow Arctic melting, Santa won’t be able to live at the North Pole anymore. Where do you think he should move to? #SantaRelocation has additionally been used to seed the idea on Twitter.

 

• Craigslist/local listing sites – Advertisements posted on Craigslist

in New York, Miami and Los Angeles, and similar local listing sites around the world [e.g. http://bit.ly/SantaRP5] offer Santa’s North Pole home for sale, with pertinent information about the property (e.g. amenities, condition, a recently acquired ocean view) and several pictures, which include playful clues about the current owner.

 

• Instagram – As people are flocking to Instagram this holiday season to post images of their kids’ wish lists, @SantaRelocationProject is commenting on these images [http://instagram.com/santarelocationproject] with warnings that this might be the last year wishlists can be sent to the North Pole.

 

• Wild Postings/Stickers – In Australia, New Zealand and India, mysterious notices are being stuck to mail boxes warning that Santa is moving and that, due to Arctic melting, this might be the last year the postal service will deliver wishlists to Santa at the North Pole. A gallery of sticker images is viewable on the Facebook page hub [http://bit.ly/SantaRP4]

 

• Influencer Outreach – Greenpeace and BBH LA are also activating bloggers, celebrities and other key contacts to spark online dialogue and drive social engagement with the Santa Relocation Project.

 

Global warming is causing Arctic sea ice to melt to record low levels, threatening the traditional livelihoods of Indigenous Peoples and a huge variety of wildlife. Moreover, this melting is now starting to change weather patterns across the world, which affects us all. 

 

The Santa Relocation Project simply, but provocatively, presents the issue of Arctic melting in a humorous, playful and engaging way. The goal is to draw mass attention to the Arctic cause and spark conversations about the environment and global warming among people of every age – from children to their grandparents – in a way that is both accessible and compelling to a broad audience.

 

 

Creative Credits:

Client: Greenpeace

Agency: BBH LA