In 2021 Unesco threatened to downgrade The Great Barrier Reef’s World Heritage status due to the lack of action taken to protect it by the Australian Government. Climate change was taking a very visible toll on the Reef - when sea temperature rises it can cause coral bleaching leaving the Reef damaged forever.

The Great Barrier Reef Foundation’s brief outlined a need to raise Gen Z’s awareness of climate change, the impact it was having on the Reef (coral bleaching) and drive direct response to help protect The Great Barrier Reef. All in the hope of securing the Great Barrier Reef’s future for generations to come.

‘Remove the Barrier’ turned Gen Z into conservationists on Snapchat. This idea virtually removed the barrier between Gen Z and them taking action to save the Great Barrier Reef.

At the core of the idea was a world-first Augmented Reality pledge enabling them to take direct action by also planting a heat resistant regenerative coral.

The Reef saving scientific innovation was matched on Snapchat through ground breaking water segmentation technology that demonstrated the impact of saving the Reef through AR.

“Gen Z is traumatized by climate change” but “they’re also the key to fighting it” - Fortune. A global problem can feel paralyzing to an individual but we knew if we could find Gen Z in their natural habitat, mobilize them en masse and give them an easy way to take action we could kickstart the reversing of the previously irreversible.

Gen Z lives and breathes on Snapchat - there’s 200m playing with AR every day. It’s where they talk to their friends and show what they care about - 82% of Snapchatters believe they have a responsibility to create the change they want to see in the world.

Snapchat was the place to find Gen Z, empower them to have a voice and encourage them to take action.

The world first AR pledge on Snapchat didn’t just disappear after 24 hours it also had real world ramifications. For every pledge the GBRF planted a heat resistant regenerative coral in the Reef.

The scientific innovation was matched on Snapchat through ground breaking water segmentation technology. For the first time machine learning trained the camera to recognise water and augment the surface on top. Giving Snapchatters the ability to open their camera, scan water and to see the Reef come back to life.

‘Remove the Barrier’ was live globally on Snapchat. The 02/12/21 launch coincided with UNESCO’s deadline to the Australian Government and ran through to 22/02/22. Supporting Snap Ads and digital ad units also drove people to pledge. A local PR push secured news coverage. GBRF also took over Australia’s most iconic ocean pool for anyone to come down and try the AR pledge themselves.

The campaign recognised that our most powerful weapon in fighting climate change - Gen Z - were passionate, vocal and active on Snapchat. The world's first environmental AR pledge showed that AR can deliver an immersive experience and secure direct response. The campaign reached 91m Snapchatters and drove 837,000 pledges for The Great Barrier Reef Foundation. We also landed a commitment to plant 10 million corals in the Reef by 2030.

Our campaign went live on the 2nd December with a big media push that coincided with UNESCO’s deadline to the Australian Government. A month later the Australian Government committed to $1 billion of investment to help ensure the Reef’s survival. This campaign is not the sole contributor to this change of heart but we’d like to think it played a small part in the commitment.