The vanishing tree in China: illusion or reality?

Client: World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF)

Market: China

Agency: Grey Shanghai's Digital Hub

Scope: Ambient media, social media, print, OOH

Details: Students painted scenes in the form of horizontal strips around the middle section of selected tree trunks to give the illusion that one could “see through” the tree, and that a chunk of the trunk was “missing”. This is part of a new marketing campaign titled 'Save The Vanishing Tree' to encourage a nascent green movement in China.

A nearby QR code drives traffic to the WWF website containing information on the dire situation of deforestation in China and around the world, and suggesting what the public can do.

WWF has also built connections with brands as Ikea, Tetra Pak, Carrefour, Aeon Supermarket and Chinese wood flooring brand Nature Home to aid consumers make more responsible and sustainable choices with regards to selecting furniture, paper and timber products.

Press release quote: Wenbin Huang, forest programme manager of WWF China said: “It is important for WWF to raise awareness, especially on World Forest Day. Globally, 12 to 15 million hectares of forest are lost each year—the equivalent of decimating one Forbidden City in China every three minutes.”

Campaign Asia-Pacific's comments: The idea uses ambient media in a clever way to disrupt the appearance of natural greenery and draw people's attention to a serious environmental problem. However, the initiative needs to be scaled to trees outside of school campuses to provoke action rather than just talk.

Credits:
Chief creative officer: Canon Wu
Creative director: Jonathan Lim
Art directors: Yuki Xu, Sasa Yu
Copywriter: Top Yu
Planner: Rachel Woolley
Illustrators: Ann Tang, Saku, Sarie, Anya
Production: Meethepeople