The Water Tank
PR Campaign for Vattenfall
Vattenfall is one of the world's foremost companies working on sustainability innovation, exemplified by HYBRIT. HYBRIT stands as the world's first fossil-free steel, meaning its manufacturing process is entirely climate-neutral. While the steel remains the same, the production process looks vastly different; instead of using coal, hydrogen is now utilized. This shift results in water becoming the sole byproduct instead of carbon dioxide, making it a significant environmental breakthrough. We aimed to create a campaign around this innovation.
The concept involves placing José González, an active environmental activist, inside a large empty glass tank. José sits in this tank with a guitar made of fossil-free steel. As he begins to play, the tank starts filling up with water, the waste from the fossil-free steel production. As he continues playing, the tank gradually fills until he is completely submerged, singing the final verse underwater. This performance serves as a metaphor for the exchange of carbon dioxide in the tank for this wastewater, while also demonstrating that the entire performance is created entirely fossil-free, as a statement against emissions in the music industry. The song he plays is titled "El Invento," meaning innovation. This unique underwater performance will be recorded in a studio and then showcased as a campaign film.
The campaign will be launched with a steel cube placed in key markets. The QR code on the cube will link to a pre-save function of the song, which is a version of the song you just heard, recorded entirely underwater. The song with José González will be released on the same day the commercial airs for the first time, allowing those who have saved the song to receive a notification that the song is now available to listen to and that the commercial is also live.
On the same day as the campaign launch, we will also send out vinyl records to key figures in the music industry, with the vinyl record of this song sent in a water-filled transparent box. Along with the shipment, there will be information about the music industry and how Vattenfall, through both technology and sponsorship, can make the music industry even more sustainable.