Red goes green as Coke and WWF launch the Philippines’ first plant billboard

PHILIPPINES, JUNE 2011 – Coca-Cola and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) have collaborated on an eco-friendly billboard, the first plant billboard in the Philippines. The billboard launched last week along the EDSA-Forbes area of Makati City, uses potted plants arranged to show the silhouette of a Coke bottle. Coca-Cola’s creative, marketing and media agencies McCann Erickson Philippines, Momentum and Starcom MediaVest Group were involved in the creation of the "Living" billboard.

 

According to project botanist Anthony Gao, each of the 3,600 potted Fukien tea plants on the 60 by 60 feet billboard can absorb up to 13 pounds of pollution a year. Recyclable materials were used for the billboard, including the pots made of recycling old bottles of various Coca-Cola products. The water-saving drip irrigation system, also known as trickle irrigation or micro-irrigation, was especially installed for efficient water distribution. 

 

"We are proud that we have brought to life the first plant billboard in the country. It is an embodiment of our company’s Live Positively commitment to making a positive difference in the world by incorporating sustainability into everything that we do," said Guillermo Aponte, president of Coca-Cola Philippines.

 

"We’re grateful for Coca-Cola Philippines’ commitment to a partnership with WWF, focusing on water stewardship and climate protection", said Lory Tan of WWF. "Through these partnerships, we will work to help Coca-Cola Philippines achieve its Live Positively environmental targets and strive together towards environmental sustainability in the Philippines."

 

 Not only the Philippine media and blogging community have given the billboard a good deal of attention; it has also merited mentions on aggregators such as PFSK, Trend Hunter and Huffington Post and advertising sites such as Adweek in the week following its launch. 

 

“We wanted to do something that will engage and inspire,” said Seph Velasquez, head of art for Momentum Philippines. “Since both Coca-cola and WWF are both advocates of the environment, we thought we can boost their influence through an execution that not only attracts attention, but also spurs people into action. This time, it is about making a positive difference in the world by thinking about sustainability in everything we do.” 

 

Majo Tomas, head of Momentum, added, “We wanted to create a campaign that will make an impact amidst Manila’s jungle of out-of-home ads. With the positive attention the plant billboard is getting, we are confident that we will fulfill the campaign’s ultimate objective- encourage Filipinos to be active participants in making a positive impact to the environment.”