The Pigeon Air Patrol…

The world’s first flock of avian environmental crusaders, The Pigeon Air Patrol flew around London equipped with Plume’s tiny air-pollution sensors. The Patrol monitored air-quality in real time – sharing results live on Twitter as they flew. And anyone tweeting @PigeonAir received an instant update on pollution in their local area, from the nearest Patrol pigeon flying above them.

The two biggest things pigeons allowed us to do were:

i) Easily uncover important data during times when pollution levels are said to be the most toxic – the morning and evening rush hours, when London is otherwise gridlocked.

ii) Quickly deliver localised air-pollution data in a disruptive, engaging and newsworthy way. Pigeons not only made the subject of air-pollution more accessible, it made it something people wanted to talk about.

It also allowed us to inject some wit and change the tone of the conversation.

We fitted ten pigeons with custom backpacks containing pollution sensors. Then, over 3 days, released them across London during rush hour.

Going where no bike, car or drone can, they quickly gathered and shared data at the times when air quality is worst.

Anyone tweeting their location to @PigeonAir got an instant response from a pigeon including:

i) Local air pollution levels

ii) Lively info-graphics showing the risks of air pollution

iii) A prompt to visit www.pigeonairpatrol.com

On the campaign site people could:

- View pigeons’ flight paths live

- Learn about air pollution risks

- Download Plume’s app with advice to help protect themselves

- Join the Air Patrol by beta testing a wearable Plume Labs device.

All messaging had a unified tone of voice, which was witty, direct and accessible. And one unified visual treatment that was deliberately bright and colourful to grab attention in the Twitter feed.

– Over 2,000 news stories globally (*highlights below)

– Over 667 million impressions

– Nearly 40,000 #PigeonAir mentions

– Facebook Trending Topic

– 93% of those who engaged said they cared more about air pollution as a result – a key predictor of behaviour change.

– Crowdfunding goal exceeded inside 3 days.

– Backed by the £10,000 raised, Plume Labs can now make 100 wearables for new Air Patrol members to beta test… Soon there will be a human-powered monitoring network across London – all thanks to pigeons.

* Highlights list of global outlets running this story:

Time magazine, Al Jazeera, The Guardian, Wired, the Evening Standard, TechCrunch, ITV, Discovery Channel, NPR, NBC News, Mashable, New Scientist, Washington Post, CNN, New York Post, Engadget, ABC Australia, Newsweek, Les Echos, Metro, TechRadar, Wall Street Journal, Time Out, The Independent, The Mirror, Forbes, Mail Online, BBC News, New Scientist, Fast Company, CNET, Marie Claire, Sky News and CBS.

This original idea has been entered into the Promo & Activation Lions because it generated a huge amount of interaction with a life-improving service.

London’s air pollution problem used to be hard to visualize, hard to measure and even harder for the public to act on at a local level. Which, considering pollution levels can vary even from street to street, is an important opportunity missed.

As well as overcoming the above obstacles, this campaign also removed one of air pollution’s most powerful weapons – invisibility. Thanks to huge amounts of public participation, we brought London’s air-pollution problem to life.

TARGET AUDIENCE

Everyone who lives and/or works in London.

APPROACH & PLATFORM

Make air pollution a problem too relevant for Londoners to ignore by personalising the issue and explaining the risks.

Collect and instantly share data that communicate air pollution is everywhere, all the time, and that levels vary by location – even from street to street.

Twitter was the most relevant platform choice for this as it allowed us to connect with people in an open, personalised way – sharing relevant data they could act on. It was also ideal for spreading the conversation fast to a broader audience, as well as fuelling media interest.

To propagate conversation and get traction on Twitter we used groups covering:

Local interest – e.g. @TimeOutLondon @EveningStandard

Outdoor activities – e.g. @cyclingweekly and @runnersworld

Commuting – e.g. @TfLTrafficNews @BBCTravelAlert

Respiratory health charities – e.g. Asthma UK

Existing conversations about the environment using keywords such as ‘emissions’, ‘smog’ ‘climate change’.

SITUATION

Last year, almost 7 million people died from diseases caused by air pollution. 10,000 of those deaths were in London – a city that exceeded its EU air-pollution limit for the whole of 2016 by January the 8th 2016.

Because air pollution is almost invisible, people can’t easily see when they’re putting themselves in harm’s way. And because the science explaining how it harms people is complicated, it can be hard for us to grasp just how big a problem air pollution is.

BRIEF

Environmental technology specialist Plume Labs developed technology that helps people control personal exposure to air pollution and therefore improve their health. The challenge was getting Londoners to engage with it in a fresh, interesting way that made air pollution impossible to ignore.

OBJECTIVES

Raise awareness of poor air-quality in London; make people care more about local air quality; crowdfund further research to develop Plume’s technology.