Volvo Lets Nature Compose The Soundtrack To Sky Nature Campaign

In a new campaign for Volvo Car UK, Grey London has found a rather unusual group of composers: the plants themselves.

Created to celebrate the launch of the fully electric Volvo EX60, Volvo Car UK’s new series of sixteen Sky Nature sponsorship idents features an original musical soundtrack by artist Alice Boyd, made using data collected from living plants at Cornwall’s Eden Project.

Developed under the creative platform 'Innovation is in our Nature', the work explores the fascinating relationship between the natural world and human ingenuity, bringing together Volvo's commitment to innovation with Sky Nature's celebration of the natural world.

Using a technique called biosonification, the team turned data from living plants at the Eden Project into music. Small electrodes attached to the plants’ leaves measured subtle changes in electrical conductivity, caused in part by the movement of water and dissolved salts as the plants respond to light, temperature, and their environment. This data was then converted into MIDI signals, allowing the plants’ changing electrical activity to control musical notes and shape an original soundtrack.

The result is a series of beautifully crafted idents in which the plants appearing on screen have also helped create the music accompanying them.

It's a simple but compelling demonstration of the campaign's central idea: that nature and innovation aren't opposing forces. In fact, some of the most interesting innovations begin with nature itself.

The collaboration also builds on Volvo's longstanding relationship with the Eden Project, where the automotive brand is the Official Electric Car Partner.

Building on almost 14 years of partnership with Sky, the campaign demonstrates how Sky Media works with brands to take sponsorship beyond traditional channel sponsorship, creating distinctive opportunities to connect with audiences through creative storytelling and across Sky's wider platforms.

Helen Rhodes, Chief Creative Officer at Grey London, said: “Move over, human musicians. We’ve discovered a whole new orchestra at the Eden Project. We wanted to show that nature and innovation aren't just compatible, they're brilliant collaborators. This has been a wonderful project, bringing to life the innovation at the heart of Volvo in a way that celebrates the natural world and, quite literally, gives nature a voice.”

Louise French, Marketing & PR Director at Volvo Car UK adds: “Our partnership with Sky Nature is about more than creating visibility. It gives us an opportunity to tell stories that reflect what Volvo stands for. With these new idents, we wanted to create something genuinely distinctive, bringing together nature, technology and creativity in a way that feels both unexpected and completely authentic to our brand. Working with the Eden Project to allow nature itself to help shape the soundtrack is a wonderful expression of our belief that innovation and the natural world can inspire each other.”

Peter Jones, Director of Horticulture, acknowledge the wonder and scientific interest of Eden Project: “Eden Project’s global garden in Cornwall are home to a remarkable collection of plants. Since we opened 25 years ago, our team of horticultural experts, students and apprentices have been cultivating, studying, and learning as we grow across our spectacular landscapes including our Rainforest Biome. With our strategic partner Volvo and their creative agency Grey we are delighted to be able to showcase the wonderous capabilities of plants, how they emit these beautiful sophisticated and purposeful sounds, exploring how deeply connected we are.”

Karin Seymour, Client and Marketing Director for Sky Media shared “As we approach 14 years of sponsorship with Volvo & Sky Atlantic, and the second year on Sky Nature, we are delighted to celebrate the launch of Volvo’s latest creative on Sky. The ‘Innovation is in our Nature’ creative platform perfectly highlights the strength of their storytelling and resonates deeply with the channel’s premium content. We can’t wait to share the creative with our Nature fans and explore how else we can maximise impact across Sky, demonstrating how we continue to evolve this iconic partnership.”

Grey London led the collaboration between Volvo, Sky and the Eden Project, working alongside media buying agency Initiative.

The campaign follows Grey London's successful Outernet activation for Volvo Car UK, further building on the agency's longstanding creative partnership with the automotive brand.

The idents will run from early November, and throughout 2027, across Sky Nature, including SkyGo, Sky GoLinear and video on-demand.

Credits

Volvo

George Williams - Head of Marketing Operations

Andy Dinham – Marketing Campaign Manager

Danielle Goodall - Senior Brand Marketing, Sponsorships & Events Leader

Grey

Jai Kotecha – Chief Executive Officer

Helen Rhodes - Chief Creative Officer

Tarek Sioufi - Chief Strategy Officer

Chris Lapham - Executive Creative Director

Aaron McGurk - Executive Creative Director

Sam Haynes – Group Creative Director

John Gibson - Group Creative Director

Lucy Johnstone - Senior Creative

Grace Chambers - Senior Creative

Kate Armishaw - Global Client Partner

Meg Johns – Account Director

Rudi Barrington - Account Manager

Michelle Kasper - Senior Integrated Producer

Eden Hastings - Assistant Producer

Victor Alayande - Assistant Producer

Ed Hayne - Planning Director

Rachael Bowen - Project Director

WPP Production

Shoot

Director - Charlie Bray

Producer - Aaron Clark

Production Manager - Graham Curry

Director of Photography

1st Assistant Director - Richard Newman

Production Assistant - Shona Russel

Post

Editor - Charlie Bray

Colorist - Ben Rogers

Kayleigh Macdonald - Senior Grade Producer

Senior Flame Operators - Jamie Russell and Ksenia Usenko

Junior Flame Operator - Lucy Hirst

Senior Post Producer - Leo Thornborough

Senior Sound Engineer - Sam Cross

Music

Composer - Alice Boyd

Music Company - Thunderdrum

Initiative and MBCS

Stuart Whitehead – Group Director

Chris Fuller – Head of Sponsorships

Eden Project

Eleanor Roper - Corporate Partnerships Account Manager

Claire Crook - Head of Marketing

Lindsey Brummitt- Programme Director

Sarah Boniface - Head of Public Affairs, Advocacy and Campaigns

Peter Jones - Director of Horticulture

Florence Mansbridge - Growing Point - Horticulture Manager

Aaron Hernandez Lee - Horticulture Team Leader - Rainforest Biome

Louisa Hall - Senior Horticulturalist

John Porter - Horticulture Technician

Martin Hayden - Guest Engagement Steward

Sky Media

David Chopping – Market Research Controller

Charlotte George – Client Partnership Controller

Marianna McClurg – Planning and Partnerships Controller

Christopher Mumford – Digital Sales Performance Controller

Harkash Samra – Sponsorship Activation Executive

Lewis Smart – Adsmart Sales Manager

Adam Spicer – Sponsorship Activation Manager