You've seen trash on the beach before, but never quite like this.
Corona went big this week to tout sustainability and raise awareness of ocean pollution. Working with Wieden+Kennedy Portland, the AB InBev brand launched two markedly different global initiatives that encourage everyone to "Imagine a World Free of Plastic."
First, on a strip of coastline along Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, the team wrote a huge message in the sand, formed from 1,100 pounds of waste:
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"These words are written in ocean plastic," copy begins. "They could go on forever. But words won't solve anything. We need plastic gone from beached like this one and businesses like ours." The plea ends with Corona's logo and the URL protectparadise.com.
To bring the project to life, the beer brand and local partners gathered materials from the shoreline and spent more than a week building the installation ahead of World Oceans Day on June 8.
Click to see a larger image here:
"The clean-up of the beach took four to five days," recalls W+K art director Brad Trost. "That included collecting the plastic and doing a bit of sorting by container type and color, and then removing a substantial amount of seaweed."
Once that was done, "the construction of the actual letter started," Trost says. "Trenches were dug in typographic formations and filled with the plastic—everything from water bottles and sandals to action hero figures. It took around another three days when you account for sea turtles visiting to make nests—and the occasional typo."
Ultimately, of course, "every single piece of plastic was hauled away and recycled, leaving a perfect natural paradise better suited for the wildlife that call it home than it had been for a long time," he says.
The team recreated the "Plastic Letter"—a term associated with outdoor signage—in Brazil, Chile, Dominican Republic, Germany, the Canary Islands, Italy and Puerto Rico. All told, some 300 million tons of plastic collects in the world's oceans each year, accounting for 80 percent of marine debris overall.
"An open letter to the world made out of plastic seemed to strike the right balance of simplicity and sincerity," says Trost. (A rival brewer, Coors Light, envisioned a plastic-free world in its own way a few months back with this pop-up "Future Mart" made entirely from sustainable materials.)
Corona and W+K also devised a poetic short film, "77 Earths," with Stink Film director Douglas Bernhardt. Amid images of everyday folks enjoying Brazil's natural beauty, the spot employs CGI to show a sky crowded with duplicates of the blue orb we call home:
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"If there were 77 Earths," the narration begins, "nature would be endless. Shorelines and deep blues would go on forever. No shortage of surf breaks or hidden beaches ... We could waste an Earth. Or two. Or 10."
Reality hits at the end: "There aren't 77. That's why we have a net-zero plastic footprint. Join us and protect our oceans."
The premise, well-served by the cosmic sea-sky visuals, feels a bit different in the category, if a tad too brand-boosting for its own good, with Corona bottles invading those spacey frames. (In fairness, the company has long cleaned up beaches and championed the cause, so it's earned the right to show off some merch.)
"We wanted to remind people about the inherent beauty in the natural world—but with a slight twist, by asking what if nature and its resources were endless," says Trost. "That's where the idea of multiple Earths in the sky came from."
"Even though the film feels like it's showing another reality, it's actually showing that even though we all know we only have one Earth, we're acting like there are 77," adds agency creative director Dan Viens.
To drive consumer engagement, Corona will recycle the equivalent of one plastic bottle for each purchase made in Brazil, Chile and Guatemala.
The push also includes OOH and social assets.
Client: Corona, AB InBev Global VP, Corona: Felipe Ambra Global Marketing Director, Corona: Antonella Babino
Agency: Wieden+Kennedy Creative Director: Josh Bogdan Creative Director: Dan Viens Creative - Copy: Marnie Hanel Creative - Art/Design: Grant Thomas Art Director: Brad Trost Executive Producer: Chris Capretto Producer: Zach Zutler Producer: Jenny Smith Design Producer: Samm Oduro Sr. Design Producer: Amy Streger Design Director: Patrick Nistler Designer: Shantanu Sharma Designer: Morgan Searcy Group Strategy Director: Scott Woodhouse Senior Strategist: Rachita Vasan Group Brand Director: Jesse Johnson Brand Director: Madeline Parker Brand Manager: Leila Chee Brand Manager: Hope Barker Sr. Business Affairs: Kacey Kelley Creative Operations Manager: Stacy Grogan
Production Company: Sketch Managing Director: Laura Harrison Production Director: Alice Strutt Account Director: Emma Clarke
Film Production Company: Barona Productions Producer / Owner: Regina Barona Director / DoP : Agustin Lira Photographer / Drone: Arturo Martínez Villa
Editorial: Rock Paper Scissors Editor: Austyn Daines Assistant Editor: Jack Kanner Head of Production: Dre Krichevsky Executive Producer: Shada Shariatzadeh Post-Producer: Kevin Gottlieb
Color: Primary Colorist: Kya Lou Executive Producer: Thatcher Peterson Producer: Jenny Bright
VFX Studio: a52 Lead Flame Artist: Adam Flynn Flame Artists: Richard Hirst, Chris Riley Online Editor: Corey Martinez VFX Producer: Everett Wayne Cross Head of Production: Drew Rissman Executive Producers: Patrick Nugent & Kim Christiensem Managing Director: Jennifer Sofio Hall
Mix and Sound Design: Lime Audio Engineer: Tom Paolantonio Executive Producer: Susie Boyajan Producer: Kayla Phugglan Associate Producer: Cassie Underwood
Music: Human Head of Sync and A&R : Kamela Anderson Executive Producer: Carol Dunn Composer: Gareth Williams
Beach Cleanup and Recycling Partner: Lamerced Founder: Mercedes Guzman
Art Installation Partner: Konyo Factory Director: Jez Turner
Corona, Anheuser-Busch: Client Felipe Ambra: Global VP, Corona Antonella Babino: Global Marketing Director, Corona
Wieden+Kennedy: Agency Josh Bogdan : Creative Director Pedro Izique : Creative Director Dan Viens: Creative Director Gus Solis: Copywriter Brad Trost: Art Director Mariah Mercier: Copywriter Chris Capretto & Jake Grand: Executive Producer Danielle Magee: Lead Integrated Producer Thais Bonizzi : Producer Christina Villaflor & George Qatsha: Print Producer Sarah Starr: Design Producer Kelly Cousins: Design Producer Amy Streger: Sr. Design Producer Patrick Nistler: Design Director Greg Radich: Retoucher Matt Blum: Production Specialist Shantanu Sharma: Designer Morgan Searcy: Designer Scott Woodhouse: Group Strategy Director Rachita Vasan: Senior Strategist Jesse Johnson: Group Brand Director Madeline Parker: Brand Director Leila Chee: Brand Manager Lisa Lipman: Business Affairs Kacey Kelley: Sr. Business Affairs
Stink : Production Company Douglas Bernardt: Director Pierre de Kerchove: Cinematographer Mungo Maclagan: Executive Producer Daniel Bergmann: President Ari Schneiderman: Head Of Production Mark Hall: Producer
Cut + Run: Edit Aika Miyake: Editor Chance St George: Assistant Editor Brian Mulvey: Senior Producer Michelle Eskin: Managing Director Amburr Farls: Executive Producer
Joint Editorial : Audio Mix Louise Woodward : Producer Natalie Huizenga: Audio Mixer
BLEACH FILMS: Color Sergio Pasqualino Jr.: Colorist
NASH : VFX Cirilo Bonazzi: VFX Supervisor Flavia Gannam: Producer
Human: Music and Sound Design Carol Dunn: Executive Producer Kamela Anderson: Head of Sync and A&R Gareth Williams: Creative Director and Sound Designer Matthew O'Malley: Composer
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