Planting Change: Unforgettable Campaigns with The Woodland Trust

Over the past four years, the Woodland Trust has partnered with us here at JAA on some truly fantastic campaigns – some say even award winning – but among them, there are a few standout campaigns and creative projects that have left a lasting impression on me.

Partnering with the Woodland Trust and the Welsh Government, our mission was to raise awareness of the vital importance of tree planting, while encouraging individuals across Wales to claim free trees. Through a multi-channel campaign including radio, TV, press, and social media, we successfully distributed 80,155 free trees, which were planted in both rural and urban areas.

It was a fantastic opportunity to be part of such an important campaign. This initiative not only helped combat the climate crisis but also laid the foundation for a National Forest in Wales – a green corridor that will connect existing ancient woodlands and new forests, enabling future generations of people and wildlife to traverse Wales entirely within woodlands.

Over the past four years at JAA, we’ve had the privilege of working collaboratively with the Woodland Trust on their climate change appeal, which has evolved from the ‘Big Climate Fight Back’ to become their core brand activity.

With this campaign, our goal was to leverage attention-grabbing, high-impact formats, experimenting with innovative channels like Netflix and launching bold, tongue-in-cheek large format OOH ads. A personal highlight was hearing our ads on one of my favourite podcasts, ‘Closet Confessions,’ but what has really stuck with me was the thought-provoking OOH bus stop ad, which made me reflect on the pollution levels in my own hometown.

Adam Buxton lent his voice to a 60-second sponsorship read for The Woodland Trust’s Plant More Trees campaign, which embraced a refreshingly simple yet powerful message: If you want more of life’s good things and less of the bad things from climate change: Plant More Trees.

Unlike typical charity campaigns, this one used humour and a unique, straight-talking tone to address the climate crisis, offering relatable real-world examples, complemented by a fantastic animation of a singing tree, a cheeky dog and some bird poo.  The light yet hopeful approach avoided downplaying the seriousness of climate change, while clearly conveying how individuals can help protect what they love especially the planet by planting more trees.

Over the past four years, JAA’s collaboration with the Woodland Trust has produced several standout campaigns that have made a lasting impact. From distributing over 80,000 trees across Wales to raising awareness of climate change with bold, innovative formats, each initiative has helped drive meaningful change. The “Plant More Trees” campaign, featuring Adam Buxton, perfectly captured our shared mission: to inspire action and protect the planet for future generations. It is these projects that highlight the power of creativity in making a real difference.🌳