Last March 29, the Philippines joined 35 countries in a concerted effort to switch off global warming. To supplement WWF’s PR and event efforts, Leo Burnett Manila ran an ad campaign on TV, radio and out-of-home. (Check out the TV ad in our Creative Showcase.)
The last was particularly ingenious. The agency installed a graphic rendition of the Makati skyline in the central business district’s busier buildings. Up close, passersby realized that the lit windows in the buildings were, in fact, post-it notes that announced Earth Hour. As people took note after note, the city’s “lights” went out.
On the night of Earth Hour, thousands of supporters converged at the Cultural Center of the Philippines to initiate lights-off. At exactly 8:00pm, three of Metro Manila’s mayors simultaneously and ceremoniously plunged the city in darkness.
In total, WWF reported that Metro Manila malls lowered their light usage to 50 percent. Some billboards in Quezon City pulled their plugs and hid in the night. In Makati City, over 1,000 streetlights were switched off, while buildings reduced their lighting by 75 percent. Out of 30 million people tipped to switch off lights and televisions worldwide, an estimated one million Filipinos in 50 cities and towns participated.
“Public response was simply amazing,” says WWF Climate Change and Energy Programme Head Yeb Saño. “Filipinos truly showed the world that we stand together against climate change. As one, government, civil society, businesses and millions of individuals made Earth Hour in the Philippines an overwhelming success.”
