Leap sustainability designer Chevonne has recently been working on a self-initiated project as part of her Continued Professional Development focused on the carbon footprint of football. These projects allow designers to explore their creativity and develop new skills in response to self-set briefs – skills that they can then bring to their next piece of client work.
In the first article about Chevonne’s Sport4Climate project we shared the facts about football’s carbon footprint that were the catalyst for the project. The emissions attributable to a single World Cup tournament that takes place over the course of one month, is more than some nations’ emissions in an entire year. Around ¾ of that, slightly more than for football in general, is produced by fans travelling to watch matches. Chevonne set some key aims for her project’s messaging, decided upon her communication channels, and set to work.
Brand identity
Guerilla marketing campaign
This virtual reality experience would be a guerilla marketing effort, set up at football clubs and stadiums around the country on match days. When fans go to watch their team play on the weekend they can take part in some virtual fun with a twist on their way to or from the ground. The aim of the game is to score as many goals (and thus points) as possible before the water reaches the top of the goal. The purpose of this is to show people the pressing issue that football faces and the time pressure indicates that we need to act now before it is too late!
The VR could also be rolled out as large moving image billboards to increase awareness and spark action across the world.
Supporting posters and billboards
App design
As part of the digital advertising campaign there would also be an app to encourage people to make pledges and be part of the movement to ‘Stop the Rise’. Within the app there is a call to action for football to reach Netzero with calls to action encouraging users to become ambassadors, helping to raise awareness beyond making pledges. Users would also be able to calculate their own football-based carbon footprint encouraging them to make change.
The app will also have information on the missions put in place to make change and what people can do to effect that, for example ‘growing sustainable sports, football fuelled by plants, and protecting more than just shins’.
Moving image
Another element of the digital advertising and awareness campaign would be a moving image edit, perhaps for insertion as a Youtube or social media advert, or as a TV advert. The aim of this would be to present the problem, specifically relating the causes, effects, and solutions to football, ending with a clear call to action.
What’s next?
In the third and final article in this series, we’ll check in on the progress that Chevonne’s project has made. Since being offered the opportunity to use some of her employee volunteer hours to develop Sport4Climate beyond a piece of professional development work, she’s visited and presented to Forest Green Rovers FC and we’re excited to see where the project leads for Chevonne.