White Grey won the Grand Prix prize that was sponsored by Seven West Media, and also the Business Impact award, sponsored by Google.
The campaign for client Volvo was the ‘Living Seawall’ ad for TV that was first launched in June last year. The Living Seawall is a project that is designed to mimic the root structure of native mangrove trees.
Placed onto an existing seawall in Sydney Harbour, it provides a habitat for marine life to aid biodiversity and, in turn, improve water quality.
Volvo Car Australia said the Living Seawall would become colonised with marine organisms within months of installation, helping to improve the richness and the diversity of seawalls.
“These organisms filter harsh pollutants, particles and heavy metals from the water, helping to keep the harbour and ocean around the Living Seawall clean,” the car-maker said.
“The more organisms we have, the more water can be filtered and the cleaner our oceans become.
“These colonies, the Living Seawall and its effects on the waters around it are what our partners at the Sydney Institute of Marine Science will continue to monitor.”
At the launch of the Living Seawall in Sydney last year, White Grey national executive creative director Chad Mackenzie said: “Sustainability and innovation are at the core of Volvo’s brand philosophy and the Living Seawall reinforces Volvo’s commitment to tackling ocean plastic pollution.
“Solving the problem of plastic requires a truly innovative approach to creativity. In collaboration with SIMS and Reef Design Lab, we came up with the idea of using concrete reinforced with recycled plastic to create seawall tiles that mimic the design of native mangroves. When attached to existing seawalls, these tiles promote biodiversity and that helps to improve water quality.
“It’s the first time this material has been used for this purpose and it’s a very exciting project that we hope will be adopted globally.”
Volvo Car Australia managing director Nick Connor said: “There’s a Swedish word, omtanke, that means ‘caring’ and ‘consideration’. But it also means ‘to think again’.
“I think that really captures what we’re trying to achieve with the Living Seawall, and it sums up Volvo’s approach to sustainability in general. We’re always trying to rethink, reinvent, redesign for the better,” he said.
White Grey was responsible for strategy, creative and product design in collaboration with SIMS and Reef Design Lab, as well as digital and social.
By Neil Dowling
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