Summer 2020, BBH New York is invited to join The Great Reset open brief.
The brief comes from Purpose Disruptors, a network of advertising insiders conspiring to leverage the power of the advertising industry to stop climate change, and asks for campaign ideas that encourage people to continue climate-positive behaviors inadvertently adopted during quarantine.
The interns are summoned. There is only one week. In a moment their mentors will regret for millennia*, they are given the reins to represent the agency.
*we are in fact shortlisted by D&AD New Blood for this
"During the course of quarantine, people found a million ways to pass the time and maintain sanity. We made TikToks, developed [questionable] feelings for the Cuomos, and of course, baked. A ton. All the while, the planet healed a little.
"But now, as quarantine comes to a close, we have stopped baking, and stopped many of our climate positive behaviours. So how do we make people not forget about their quarantine hobbies and the positive impacts that came with them?"
"Introducing, Adopt a Banana Bread — an interactive online shelter where people can adopt abandoned banana breads by trading in climate positive behaviors they have been doing and pledge to continue doing.
By becoming a #LoafGuardian, you don’t just adopt “a banana bread” — you adopt a climate positive lifestyle."
"The campaign begins with Out-of-Home and Radio.
"We are deploying cryptic ads and radio spots that call on people to “adopt a banana bread”, with the goal of inciting enough curiosity and “huh?" factor for people to visit our website.
"Imagine you're on the highway headed for the mall. You see roadside billboards for "adopting banana breads". Huh, people will really make an issue out of anything these days, you — wealthier-than-mainstream parent who doesn't worry much about the planet but enjoys being a good person —say to yourself. You get to the mall. There are more similar ads describing the benefits of adopting banana breads all over the place. Apparently it's similar to having a dog? You glance at a copy of The Guardian left on a bench by you and pauses startled: Right there on a full page, a sad, wet banana bread in the middle of the street.
"Your grasp on reality continues to loosen on the drive home. On the radio, a couple breaks up after one of them adopts a banana bread. On Instagram, your friends are talking about why the moistness of banana breads is integral to the UK's post-Brexit future. Even Paul Hollywood got a load. PAUL HOLLYWOOD."
"Eventually, your curiosity gets the best of you and you visit adoptabananabread.com to understand just what the madness is about.
"You learn that while you were baking banana breads, you were also saving the planet. You understand also the gist of the stunt — that the banana bread is a representation of environmentally conscious behaviors that we’ve picked up during quarantine and by adopting a banana bread… you’re committing to adopting that lifestyle.
"From here, you meet 6 different banana breads and qualify to adopt them through your climate positive behaviors. Once you pick, you're given an adoption package — a link to a 24/7 livefeed of your pet banana bread, and a “how to take care of your banana bread” brochure that outlines climate actions based on your bread's personality.
Our hope is that at this point, being "in" on the joke, you'd wanna prank someone else with it. So, we have social assets for you to announce to the world the next member of your family..."
"Post adoption, you’ll be able to check in and see how your little one is doing via our 24/7 livestream portal — yes, literally livestreams of bread — and these will occasionally change with holidays, seasons, events, etc.
"We anticipate a few cycles where the joke spreads, as friends prank each other with messages about new siblings and the urgent humanitarian issue of banana bread, and influencers joke with their audiences and virtue-signal by participating on this big internet joke.
"Becoming a #LoafGuardian is an act, however, and in the last part of the campaign, we transition from meme to education. You are given goals to strive for in order to keep your banana breads well and happy. Our social accounts transition from cryptic memes towards an environmental activism resource hub, with our different breads taking over to give mini-lessons on the issues they care about.
"With bonds to your breads and skin in the game having participated in the joke, our hope is that you feel inducted into the ranks of sustainability and seek to learn more."
Adopt a Banana Bread
created in one week
Shortlisted by D&AD New Blood Academy / Purpose Disruptors for deployment in the UK.
Created by Victoria Neal (strategy), Gauri Nigam (creative), Jeff Fan (creative), Olga Elliot (production)