COPI | ADDRESSPOLLUTION.ORG | 2020
The Courage to Say "This House Could Kill You" / COPI "ADDRESSPOLLUTION.ORG"
When you buy a house, someone tells you if there's asbestos. But nobody tells you how dirty the air is. The moment I noticed that imbalance, I couldn't help but growl.
The problem
In London, air pollution reportedly causes 10,000 early deaths a year. But the numbers were too technical, and nobody knew just how polluted their own address really was. In 2019, the nonprofit COPI, funded through crowdfunding, teamed up with AMV BBDO to take on this invisible crisis.
The insight
People tend to be numb to health risks, but sharp when it comes to property values. A survey found that 76% of Londoners said homes in polluted areas should be sold at a discount. So why not treat pollution the same way as asbestos? Using data from King's College London, they measured pollution levels down to a 20-meter grid, linking a five-level rating system to the exact drop in property value. In Chelsea, that meant a fall of up to £256,416; in Islington, £146,359.
The idea
At addresspollution.org, anyone could get a free pollution report just by entering their address. In London's wealthiest neighborhoods, they projected pollution ratings onto buildings and put up billboards reading "Location, Location, Lung Disease." Animations showing lungs and hearts being damaged by pollution ran across digital out-of-home ads and social media, and they even submitted a formal statement pushing real estate agents to disclose pollution data.
What happened
The campaign won the Lions Health United Nations Foundation Grand Prix for Good at Cannes Lions in 2021. At launch, it drew nearly 1 million visits, was covered by more than 570 media outlets, and made the front page of national newspapers three times. The National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) eventually recognized air quality data as official information.
Afterthought
An ad that actually moved the law. Just thinking about how hard that must have been makes me shiver. And all on a crowdfunded budget. Simply by making the invisible visible, they got both an industry and a government to act. That's the kind of work I'd love to do myself.
Awards
- Cannes Lions Grand Prix 2020
