This campaign was created to promote Channel 4’s climate season of programmes, with its core theme of holding big business, big oil and politicians to account over their inaction on climate change. 4creative was tasked with creating something with massive stand-out, getting 16- to 24-year-olds – as well as a broader demographic of Channel 4 viewers – to think differently about the climate crisis and drive people to watch the programmes.

For too long the responsibility for climate change has been placed on the individual. We’re told to recycle, fly less, cycle more, use paper not plastics. But as the world gets hotter and we get further away from our net zero targets, what have those with power been doing? 4creative decided to flip the narrative and make a huge noise about needing systemic change, rather than just personal sacrifice.

They created a symbol of the inaction of those with power: the ‘carbon skidmark’. This was brought to life in a film that couldn’t be ignored, making a serious point on climate in an original and unexpected way. The film showed private jet-taking CEOs, big oil executives and politicians literally rubbing our faces in their inaction, as they ripped off their trousers to shamelessly flaunt their oily carbon skidmarks. We see them dancing in their pants to a banging techno track, gyrating and twerking in the viewers’ faces.

As the track builds to a crescendo, the all-powerful are ‘wedgied’ and hung out to dry outside the UK Houses of Parliament. A voiceover asks: “We’re worried about our carbon footprint but are those with power doing enough about their carbon skidmark?”

Credits:
Agency: 4creative
Managing Director: Katie Jackson
ECD: Lynsey Atkin
Creative Directors: Andy Vasey, Dan Warner
Director of Production: Miketta Lane
Executive Producer: Fiona Wright
Senior Producer, TV: Rory MacLean
Producer, TV: Hope Sutherland
Producer, OOH/Social/Stunt: Faye Adams
Social Director/Editor: Lubona Wyatt
Head of Design: Rob Boon
Senior Designer: Sarah Jones
Creative Artworker: Zen St George
Head of Creative Operations: Olivia Jones
Production Company: Academy Films
Directors: Grandmas
Academy Executive Producer: Darapen Vongsa-Nga
Academy Head of Production: Gemma Priggen
Academy Producer: Ash Lockmun
Edit: Ten Three
Offline Editor: David Whittaker
Additional Editing: Dave Robinson
Assistant: Rebecca Campbell
Edit Producer: Clellend Allen
Post-Production: Selected Works, Platform Post
Grade: Sam Gilling @ Selected Works
Audio Post-Production: String and Tins
Sound Designer: Culum Simpson
Foley: Cobblestone Foley
Audio Producers: Amie Nedwell, Eimear Ní Ghuaire
OOH Photography: Max Parker
OOH Retouching: Curious
Media Agency: OMD