In 2014 the Woodland Trust approached us to produce a national campaign for their Centenary Woods project which invited members of the public to dedicate trees in 4 newly created woods to the memory of loved ones, commemorating 100 years since the outbreak of the First World War.  

We developed a concept with the campaign line ‘We will stand for those who fell’ – ‘we’ being a personification of the trees themselves, the Woodland Trust and an inclusive way of referring to donors.

For the film, we wanted to create something more emotive and memorable than an unplanted site, that visually delivered against the future-facing nature of the 4 woods while connecting them to the war period, so we approached a school in Skipton, close to one of the Woodland Trust's most magical sites, and asked if they'd like to be part of a very special video.

The children learned ‘It's A Long Way To Tipperary’ in a special after school club and performed it for us marching through the woodland. We approached one of the Woodland Trust’s patrons - Dame Judi Dench - to be part of the video, and liaised with campaign partner Sainsbury’s to secure wardrobe.

Using stills photography of the children as a hero image, supported by a toolkit of illustrated silhouette assets, the ‘We will stand…’ concept was rolled out across radio, direct mail, door drops, press inserts, press advertisements, 6-sheets, 48-sheets, digital display and email, including Welsh language variants where appropriate.

Our online content told the story of the devastating effect the war effort had on the UK’s woodlands, positioning a mass memorial planting project as a fitting tribute. We told the tale of the Verdun Oaks, and of the Women’s Forestry Corps and Land Army – a rich tapestry of tales, allowing people to make personal connections.

The campaign last four years, and was delivered in two phases, helping the Woodland Trust to create some stunning new Woodland while generating much needed revenue through donations.