AMV BBDO, BUPA Health

Challenge: The client wanted a simple way to explain why this topic is so important to the business. AMV BBDO’s answer was to capture the message in a film, in which Bupa commits to care for the planet as its oldest patient.

Idea: The agency team proposed two options – one that answered the brief directly, and a bigger, more ambitious script that required taking people in lab coats to the Amazon jungle, the Arctic, the Sahara desert, capital cities around the world performing medical examinations that would otherwise be done on people, on the planet. Bupa loved the idea but had concerns on the scale and environmental impact. AMV BBDO loved it too and worked with the AMV Green team (internal sustainability consultancy) to find an alternative way to do this with almost zero emissions (comparatively). AMV Green underlined that it would be a leap of faith creatively because of the use of new technology – virtual production.

Bupa loved the idea, and so AMV BBDO’s creative team and sustainability specialists worked together, to break new ground in virtual production. The resulting 90” Bupa ad was produced by the agency’s in-house production company Flare Productions, and shot almost entirely using virtual production from the comfort of a studio in North London, requiring zero international travel.

The AdGreen carbon calculator was used to compare emissions with traditional production methods, showing the film to be 95% less carbon intensive compared to filming on location.

Result: The sustainability story formed part of the press release that launched the film, creating a platform for Bupa to talk to the industry.

The film went on to win at the APA Ideas Awards (2023) and has generated a lot of interest. It has led to AMV BBDO winning work with new clients who wanted to utilise virtual production for sustainability reasons.

• Finished product
• Behind the scenes
• Further reading