From foxes navigating night-time streets to peregrine falcons nesting on London landmarks, tenacious wildlife continues to adapt to the challenges of urban living. But resilience doesn’t mean invincible, with many species coming under increasing pressure.
London Wildlife Trust asks Londoners to think differently about who they share the city with in a playful Out of Home (OOH) campaign which spotlights the remarkable species that also call it home.
With creative direction by Jack McPartland, the work draws on humour and wordplay to bust some common tropes, using starlings, beavers and hedgehogs in place of people.
A question-led narrative challenges stereotypes about both wildlife and Londoners, asking if Londoners are always in a rush; too distracted to notice what’s around them? Or more willing to give a ‘dam’ about nature than we think?
The campaign is appearing on 15 large format DOOH screens and the Loop network. It forms part of Ocean Outdoor’s annual Drops in the Ocean programme which gives 2% of the UK company’s revenue in screen space to selected environmental charities and good causes.
Ocean’s Loop network in Battersea Power Station, and its screens in High Street Kensington and the Northern Ticket Hall at Westfield Stratford City feature QR codes which direct audiences to a quiz to discover their wild Londoner match, facts about urban wildlife and simple ways they can support nature’s recovery. Participants receive a shareable result, encouraging more Londoners to celebrate the wildlife living around them.
Ocean Outdoor senior marketing manager Shona Dobson says: “The message is that urban wildlife needs space, thriving habitats and our support if they are to continue living in London. By seeing them as our neighbours, London Wildlife Trust hopes more people will be inspired to make way for nature and help wildlife recover, an objective that fully reflects our Drops in the Ocean mission.”
