Showcase Siemens' message of environmental sustainability to the United Nations delegates at the 2011 United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP17), in Durban, South Africa - as well as local government officials and the general public. Create a symbol of hope for earth's environmental future, one that both the UN and the general public can rally behind.

Along with road shows, press conferences and product showcases, the brief asked for a public-facing activation that would arrest the attention of the general public.By creating an over-sized replica of the African baobab tree from reclaimed materials and powered only by sustainable energy sources, Siemens adopted one of Africa's most iconic symbols of longevity as the face of their campaign.The tree installation was echoed across all Siemens communications worldwide before, during and post the United Nations conference through a circular icon, which in turn was adopted by the United Nations as the official symbol for the Climate Change Conference.

The site of the build became the unofficial broadcast point for local and international media with reporters using it as a backdrop for their reports.Visited by thousands of passers-by every day, as well as the United Nations delegates, the Baobab Tree allowed Siemens to share their brand vision with a daily average of 4,310 people, totalling almost 27,000 individual recorded visits, including the Mayor of the City of Durban and various other government officials.

Siemens enjoyed almost R1m worth of advertising value from the resulting PR, excluding highly active social media engagement.