The Carbon Skidmark

Client: Channel 4

When Channel 4 commissioned a series of programming about the Climate Crisis, we had a big opportunity to make a big impact about the biggest change of the generation.

Yet our research revealed that young audiences feel the mainstream conversation around the climate crisis places the burden on individuals to solve, leaving over 60% feeling anxious, guilty and powerless. You'd excuse them for not jumping to watch a mainstream broadcast series about the Climate Crisis! This discouraging generational guilt was built on the idea of the ‘Carbon Footprint’ – that if only we recycled more plastic bottles, we would have this all sorted. It was time to flip the narrative. We replaced the individual Carbon Footprint with… the political Carbon Skidmark. A metaphorical symbol for the sticky mess left by the inaction of those in power. Skidmarks get noticed. You have to do something about it. So, we set about creating a right shitstorm. One that left a mark!