Plan B ‘No-snow globe’/ Martin London & The Climate Coalition ‘Snowman’ The Full Service

Last week saw many of us frolicking in the snow which turned up unannounced on Sunday morning. The covering of white across towns and fields was a magical festive delight as we approach the Christmas holidays. But what if we never saw that prettiness again? What if there were no snowmen to make or snow balls to throw? What if those hat, gloves, scarfs and five layers became redundant? Two campaigns rolled out last week which imagine a world without snow as a catalyst for awareness of climate change.

First up was The Climate Coalition, which unusually enlisted the help of rock star Liam Gallagher to tell the tale of ‘The very hot Snowman’. Created by agency The Full Service and production company Jelly, the animated 60-second spot, which appears to a be a slight play on the classic festive tale by Raymond Briggs, sees Gallagher explaining how the planet is getting hotter and affecting the usual cycle of our seasons. On screen we see a friendly snowman enjoying the winter cold until the sun’s heat is turned up and he becomes confused as birds, which he knows usually don’t come out until springtime, begin to nest and new flowers start sprouting around him. Eventually the heat makes him melt away leaving nothing but his scarf behind. The film ends with Gallagher asking the audience to come together, do their bit to protect the planet and ‘Show the world they care’. The campaign runs under the strapline ‘We’re noticing the change. Are you?’, supported by the hashtag #ShowTheLove.

Running along the same lines was Plan B’s work with Martin London. The climate change activists created a series of snowless snow globes to help the public picture a future of Christmases without snow. On display at Broadgate Christmas Market, each globe contains a happy festive scene, such as people making snow angels or building a snowman, but unlike the typical festive shaker, the globes contain not a flake of snow, just brown dirt and lifeless looking trees. The activity adds fuel to the fire of its campaign to get to the UK government to revise its 2050 carbon target. One snowless globe was sent to Prime Minister Theresa May with a plaque reading ‘Climate change is in your hands Prime Minister’. Others were gifted to climate change deniers via social media.

Both campaigns will be effective in their own ways. With a global superstar putting his name and voice to The Climate Coalition’s campaign the message will cleverly reach a wealth of people and countries which it may not have already engaged. Plan B’s effort not only raises a wider awareness of climate change through something current and relatable – snow – but also tackles its mission to stir up the government’s climate change plans head on by putting the issue (literally) in the hands of those in power.