'Agency for Nature' campaigns help next gen fall in love with nature

The first-of-its-kind 'Agency for Nature' developed by climate and creativity non-profits Glimpse and Purpose Disruptors has unveiled five unique creative campaigns today to help a new generation fall back in love with nature.

The campaigns span a reworking of the Kamasutra, an urban nature mini-experience, a psychedelic nature trip, a celebration of in-game nature, and a high-fashion campaign subverted to promote slow living – each produced by talent from five top creative agencies including Weiden+Kennedy, The&Partnership, Amplify, Leo Burnett and Oliver.

Research consistently shows that the more connected to nature we are the more pro-environmental behaviours we demonstrate, as well as having positive outcomes for mental health. Yet a recent poll from the Agency For Nature conducted by YouGov shows 77 per cent of people ages 18-35 in the UK would like to be more connected to nature. This finding supports recent research which shows Britain ranks bottom for nature connectedness in Europe, and UK Citizens measured lowest for their feeling of ‘oneness with the natural world’. A further recent YouGov poll showed our disconnection to nature is a root cause of our spiralling mental health crisis and eco-anxiety amongst young people. What’s more, cultural references to nature in music, film and books have declined 63 per cent between 1950 and 2010.

To help turn the tide on our broken relationship with nature, the Agency for Nature was founded to channel the creativity of the advertising industry towards supporting all life on Earth. Five top agencies seconded rising creative talent to the first-ever Agency for Nature. Teams were tasked with ‘creating hype for a nature-connected lifestyle, as part of a provocative brief where ‘Nature’ is the client.

Each agency responded to the brief with a unique approach, demonstrating how advertising, which sits at the intersection of psychology and culture, can be used to build a desire for a nature-connected life.

The campaigns include:

• ‘Girls Just Wanna Grow Plants’ from Jas Nadoo and Georgette Fischer (Leo Burnett) – A high-fashion campaign for nature, which is an eye-catching anecdote to corporate hustle culture. This campaign, created by an all-female team and shot by ex-Vogue Editor, turned Photographer, Ina Levy, targets the pressures felt by young women to be constantly on the grind, and promotes a slow life in nature as aspirational through billboards of models literally immersed in nature.

• ‘Nature: The Original Trip’ from Susie Cornelius and Mark Betteridge (OLIVER) – A hypnotic, psychedelic billboard campaign bringing to life the transformative, meditative and awe-inspiring benefits of nature – our ultimate medicine. The campaign includes key headlines influenced by studies to outline how nature reduces anxiety and ignites our imagination.

• ‘Seed Saga’ from Aleks Atanasovski and Hannah Young (Wieden+Kennedy) – Seeds that let you grow plants straight from the gaming world of Guild Wars 2. This campaign inspires gamers to transfer their in-game farming skills into the physical world, offering a glimpse into how these roles are vital for combating climate change. SeedSaga launches with an in-game Nature Walk, bridging the gap between the virtual and real world with gardening tips and how they can bring biodiversity into their neighbourhoods.

• ‘The Slow Brew’ from Lisa Aoyama and Catarina Neves. An experiential adventure in London, hijacking people’s coffee breaks discouraging them from endless doom-scrolling, and taking them on a micro-adventure through urban nature, to a local community garden instead.

• ‘The Ecokamasutra’ from Sam & Ivan (The&Partnership) – A 10-part pocket guide to ‘lover nature’ to be released on Valentine's Day, inspired by the fun-loving artists and activists who pioneered the fringe ‘Ecosexual Movement’, the debut book explores eroticism in nature we experience around us in our everyday lives.

James Turner, Founder of Glimpse says: “We’re surrounded by stories of dystopia and gloom, but this shows a glimmer of something different. These talented creatives are building desire for a radically different lifestyle, more focused on the things that matter and less worried about those that don’t. Nature doesn’t have an advertising agency. But imagine the world we could create together if it did.”

Lisa Merrick Lawless, Co-founder of Purpose Disruptors says: “Agency For Nature demonstrates the real creative contribution the Ad industry can make in the world. The campaigns are unique, fresh and provocative - things the industry does so well. We are already seeing how this can act as a ‘call and response’ to other creators and culture makers and become a bigger cultural intervention.”

Miles Richardson, Professor of Nature Connectedness at Derby University says: “Although many think of the UK as a nation of nature lovers, the reality is that we live on one of the most nature-depleted countries on Earth and are particularly disconnected from nature. This matters, as that connection with nature is a causal issue of the environmental crises we face and therefore an essential part of the solution.”

Jas Nandoo & Georgette Fisher from Leo Burnett say: “For women in their 20s, life is a constant state of rushing. It’s hustle culture, it’s girl bossing. Society’s general narrative is we should be more productive and work harder. But in reality, sometimes we just want to forget about it, and these ads serve as a reminder that nature can be a much-needed distraction, it’s an essential part of life, and it’s a vibe. We were intrigued by the concept of creating a campaign which would have a better impact on the world, with the freedom of no brand guidelines, or client (other than nature)! We’ve come away from Agency for Nature with a new appreciation of the slow life and a real admiration for the world around us and also everyone involved.”

Sam Collins & Ivan Stanojevic from The&Partnership say: “We loved the power of the simple thought at the heart of this brief – that the more intimately we connect with nature, the better we’ll take care of it – and so sought to bring it to life using humanity’s oldest, most ubiquitous tool for fostering intimate connection – sex. We can’t wait to share this with the world on Valentine’s Day”

Aleks Atanasovski and Hannah Young, from Wieden+Kennedy London say: "Creating SeedSaga, we wanted to introduce gamers to the world of botany and biodiversity by simply transferring their existing skills they already action in-game when they farm resources. This project offers a glimpse into the vital role these elements play in combating the effects of climate change. For us, this project goes beyond the aesthetics; it carries a powerful message to the younger generation, inspiring a transformative perspective on the world we share. It feels really good to use our creativity for something that has a meaningful impact."

Lisa Aoyama and Catarina Neves from Amplify say: “Our hope is for this project to inspire a world where coffee shop menus offered secret nature trails, where coffee breaks became pockets of time to slow down and align with nature – where she is no longer a green blob, but an accessible source of wonder that adds the magic we need in our lives.”

Susie Cornelius and Mark Betteridge from Oliver say:

“Being involved with Agency for Nature has been so exciting! And having nature as a client? It's been a wild ride from briefing, through idea conception, to production. It's brilliant to be able to use advertising for such a good cause. Connecting with nature is hugely important to both of us and really does make a difference when it comes to our mental health and creativity. So it’s great to be able to share that and encourage others to feel the benefits."

The campaign will take over advertising spaces in the UK across social media, billboards, and digital media from the 12 of February. Media partners MGOMD, JCDecaux, Ocean, Clear Channel, Talon and Snap Inc. and IfNotNow supported the initiative with campaign planning expertise and media space.

The Agency for Nature is a newly formed, long-standing initiative to build a public mandate for nature connection and protection. Campaigns will contribute to an open-source creative library for nature and climate communicators demonstrating the power of novel climate communication approaches.

Each groundbreaking campaign can be explored at agencyfornature.com.