If playing dress-up–albeit in off-kilter, animalistic fashion–in the name of charity sounds enticing, then mark June 5 on your calendar because that’s when the World Wildlife Fund will kick off its “Wear it Wild” fundraising campaign. To help hype the event, Naked Communications and Pulse Films have launched a digital effort called “The A-Z of Wear it Wild” that not only encourages people to “dress as wild as they dare for the day” but provides alphabetical suggestions on quirky animal wear.
Of course, this isn’t just any fancy schmancy costume party if the film’s soundtrack is any indication as it’s set to the tune of “Hunter” by a band called The Slaves, who sound like a Prodigy/Sex Pistols hybrid. Regarding the punk rock spirit of the visuals and sound, “A-Z” director Alex Haines says,
“On paper, a family-friendly, animal-themed fancy dress party sounds so expected and twee – the fun bit was trying to move away from that expectation; adding a layer of attitude! Music was always going to play a big part in that, and we were really excited when we got sign off on the Slaves track! They embody everything we wanted from this film attitude wise.”
Still, with all the frivolity and fun comes some serious undertones in this campaign from Naked, which signed on as WWF UK’s digital content partner earlier this month. The agency’s creative director Cyrus Vantoch-Wood, who led the project, explains:
“Having a fundraising idea is one thing, but our mission for the film was to drive action and inspire behaviour; like a video flyer to get people involved. We also couldn’t forget that this is a serious issue. Wildlife populations worldwide have declined by 52% since 1970. We needed something that can appeal to school kids, mums and hipsters alike, whilst maintaining some break through. We needed an execution with teeth. The end product is a piece of content that taps into people’s imaginations and shows them that this is an opportunity to have some fun and do some good.“
The hopes of all parties involved are that “Wear it Wild” becomes a major annual event and that UK businesses, schools and organizations will get involved with the cause. To find out more about it, go here.
Agency: Naked Communications
Agency Producer: Lee Charlton
Executive / Creative Director: Cyrus Vantoch-Wood
Creative Team: Catherine Hope, Jonny Palmer and Andy Russel
Production Company: Pulse Films
Director: Alex Haines
Producer: John Bannister
Grade: Ben Rogers @ Gramercy Park Studios
Sound Mix: Michael Powell @ Prodigious
Music Supervision: Pitch and Sync