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From the 9th Annual Shorty Impact Awards

INCREDIBLE BEAST "FACE PLANT"

Winner in Pro Bono Campaign, Environment & Sustainability

Audience Honor in Pro Bono Campaign

Objectives

Incredible Beast and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) asked Amp to develop a campaign to spread awareness about regenerative farming practices, focusing on planting cover crops. At the launch of this campaign, no paid support was planned—only organic and earned.

The objectives were to: 

  1. Raise awareness of the importance of cover crops to fight environmental damage.
  2. Generate unpaid, earned media and create a groundswell conversation and engagement around the importance of planting cover crops.

Strategy and Execution

Using actor, comedian, and woodworker Nick Offerman, we brought this campaign to life and made soil look sexy. We launched a 60-second video across various social media platforms and pitched across various media outlets. 

In our search for talent, we wanted the face of “Face Plant” to be passionate about protecting the soil, a natural entertainer, and enjoy broad public appeal. Enter Nick Offerman, an actor, author, entertainer, farmer, woodworker, and supporter of regenerative farming. 

Also, enter Emmy-winning director and producer Morgan Sackett (known for satirical sitcoms such as Veep and Parks & Recreation), who knows a thing or two about impactful storytelling through comedy and wit. They bought into the “Face Plant” idea and devoted their talent, resources, and time to bring it to life. 

The campaign focused on a 60-second video featuring Nick Offerman in his dirtiest role. In the video, Offerman advocates for cover crops while lying buried up to his neck, humorously portraying degraded soil. As Offerman spoke to the camera about the impact of chemicals and tilling, his face transformed from worn out to a healthy glow, symbolizing the benefits of cover crops.

“Face Plant” was strategically launched across social channels during Climate Week NYC to generate timely related media coverage and social chatter. This contextual approach amplified the campaign’s reach, making it a topic of national conversation and highlighting the importance of supporting an easy, sustainable agricultural practice. 

 

Results

Despite zero media spending, the initiative 

  1. Earned 203,809,294 PR impressions, an equivalent ad value of $2.3MM.
  2. Earned 11 minutes of national TV coverage on prime networks, reaching nearly 1MM views on Morning Joe on MSNBC, over 57k viewers on  Erin Burnett OutFront/CNN, and over 2.7M viewers on ‘The View.’
  3. Not only did it generate a 19% increase in traffic to NRDC.com, but it also saw an incredible 49% increase in the conversion rate among the general public writing to their political representative to take action, thereby helping to continue the conversation on this important issue.
  4. Tickled the funny bone on social media, racking up 1.5MM views,  27.7k+ likes, and 6.4k+ shares (including other like-minded celebrities such as Courteney Cox and Bill Weir) on social platforms.

Media

Video for INCREDIBLE BEAST "FACE PLANT"

Entrant Company / Organization Name

Amp and Incredible Beast Omnimedia Inc., Natural Resources Defense Council

Link

Entry Credits