Bringing Britain’s Blue Backyard to the Surface

Ahead of World Ocean Day, WWF and Sky Ocean Rescue needed to demonstrate undeniable public support for ocean recovery and create an activation powerful enough to put marine health firmly on the government agenda.

When people think of incredible sea life, they picture distant tropical waters, not the UK. Yet Britain’s own seas are home to remarkable species including Leatherback sea turtles, seahorses, basking sharks and orcas. If we could reveal the beauty and abundance on our doorstep, we could turn surprise into pride and pride into action.

We built a culturally resonant campaign that surfaced the wonder of UK marine life and transformed awareness into advocacy. National consumer research sparked headlines about how little Britons knew about their own waters. An interactive digital map helped people explore the species living along their local coastline. Dating app partnerships with Tinder and Match invited the nation to quite literally fall in love with ocean heroes. And in a moment policy makers could not ignore, we delivered the public petition to DEFRA at Westminster via the UK’s first ever e-ice cream van, joined by Steve Backshall, turning collective care into a clear call to action.