Who: Canada Post, with The&Partnership for strategy and creative, (Tank for French); Circle Productions for production (directed by Shaunoh); colour and VFX by Alter Ego; audio by Boombox; media by Touché.
What: “For the Greener Good,” a campaign outlining Canada Post’s ongoing efforts to reduce its environmental impact, including new creative announcing that its ground-service delivery is now carbon neutral.
When & Where: The campaign began April 24, running through June. It is anchored by a 30-second TV spot and supported by online video and social.
Why: The Crown Corp. has a goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Announced last June, the plan includes converting to a fully electric vehicle fleet, retrofitting buildings, building net-zero carbon buildings, and sourcing renewable energy for operations. Last month, it confirmed that all ground shipping with Canada Post is now carbon neutral through the purchase of high-quality carbon offsets (more below). The new advertising announces that development, and pledges more to come.
“As one of Canada’s largest corporations, people are looking to Canada Post to take meaningful action on the environment,” said Danielle Doiron, general manager, marketing at Canada Post in a release. “We know that delivering for Canadians is about more than delivering packages. It’s also about delivering a greener future for us all.”
How (the concept): The anchor spot, “Lighter on the Earth,” uses transparent boxes and packages moving along roads in idyllic Canadian settings—past lighthouses and fishing boats, between snowy farm pastures, and through dense forests and quiet residential streets—as a metaphor for how shipments with Canada Post are “travelling lighter” because of the carbon offsets.
“Because this is such a huge initiative from Canada Post, we wanted to create something just as big and wondrous to bring it to life,” said Justin Roth, executive creative director at The&Partnership, in a release “These ethereal boxes felt like the perfect way to visualize how much lighter an impact on the land carbon neutral shipping will have.”
The ad was shot by Indigenous director Shaunoh of Circle Productions. “In addition to the package’s journey, the spot also shares a beautiful story about shared humanity,” he said. “As we see Canadians living their everyday lives, we’re reminded of the influence we all have on our land and one another.”
How (the production): In keeping with its better-for-the-planet ethos, Canada Post also strove to minimize the carbon footprint of the production. While it looks like it was shot in different parts of the country at different times, the entire shoot took place around Vancouver in five days with a small crew.
Sustainable practices included the use of as much natural light as possible, rechargeable batteries, and turning off generators when not in use.
The 14 tonnes of CO2 emissions from the shoot were offset by a contribution to ClimeCo and Carbon Fund.
