Channel 4 is the UK’s alternative public service broadcaster. As a not-for-profit organisation owned by the public, Channel 4 exists to challenge the status quo, champion unheard voices

and take bold creative risks.

We were tasked with promoting Channel 4’s new season of provocative programmes on climate, named ‘Change Climate’, with its core theme of holding big business, big oil and politicians to account over their inaction on climate change. We needed to create something with massive stand-out, to get 16–24-year-olds – as well as a broader demographic of Channel 4 viewers – to think differently about the climate crisis, and drive people to watch the season.

The film shows private jet-taking C.E.Os, profiteering big oil executives and chaotic politicians literally rubbing our faces in their climate inaction, as they ripped off their trousers to shamelessly flaunt their oily carbon skidmarks. We dialled up the obnoxiousness by showing them dancing round in their pants to a banging techno track, gyrating and twerking their carbon-skidmarked-behinds in the viewers faces.

As the track builds to the crescendo, our all-powerful are ‘wedgied’ and hung out to dry outside the houses of parliament. A voice over asks, “We’re worried about our carbon footprint, but are those with power doing enough about their carbon skidmark?”

As intended, the ad was hugely talked about, reaching 29 million U.K adults and creating debate on all social channels. We achieved massive press coverage and received 881 OFCOM complaints – which were all dismissed for not being in breach, but proved how strongly our ad had grabbed attention. The programmes in the ‘Change Climate’ season reached 4.3m UK viewers (and counting) across broadcast and streaming, making it one of Channels 4’s most successful current affairs programmes of the year. But most excitingly, the phrase ‘Carbon Skidmark’ was discussed in UK parliament itself.