Rooted in authenticity, growing towards sustainability: Britannia on viral OOH campaign

Britannia started 2025 with an OOH campaign that grabbed attention and went viral overnight. ‘Nature Shapes Britannia’ stood out in the crowd with a unique visual spectacle that turned heads and stopped scrolls.

To showcase the brand’s commitment to sustainability, the hoardings were placed in spots where trees naturally interrupted the canvas. Created with 100% biodegradable cotton, each hoarding was designed to incorporate the natural contours of the surrounding trees. The campaign’s form fit the message perfectly, sparking conversations around sustainability — on behalf of Britannia and the OOH industry.

While the campaign got Britannia the attention the cause deserved, the campaign is just beginning. The brand aims to let nature sustain the momentum, ensuring the message resonates long after the viral waves recede.

According to Archana Balaraman, General Manager, Marketing, Britannia, the campaign is not a one-time effort. Instead, it’s a part of the ongoing work the brand has been doing with its packaging, sourcing practices and other sustainability initiatives.

“As we move forward, we plan to keep the conversation going. It's not only about what we’ve done but also about how we’re always looking for ways to improve and do more for the environment. We want our consumers to feel they are part of this journey with us, seeing the positive changes we’re making together. Sustainability isn’t just a trend for us — it’s part of who we are, and we want to reflect that in every part of our brand,” she explains.

For Britannia, the campaign is all about inspiring change. With the overwhelming response that Nature Shapes Britannia received, the team is confident they’ve struck a chord with consumers who are increasingly looking for brands that actively contribute to environmental efforts. Balaraman shares, “Over time, we believe this will lead to even greater brand love, loyalty, and recall as we continue to align with the values that matter most to our audience.”

Calling the response to the campaign phenomenal in terms of reach and engagement, Balaraman further shares a glimpse into reactions the brand has received since the campaign’s launch: “From enthusiastic reactions during billboard installations to engaging user-generated content on social media, it is a testament to how people found the concept inspiring. We’ve also seen a strong sense of internal pride and excitement from our Britannia employees, which has been incredibly rewarding.”

Taking the campaign live in 4 cities including Hyderabad, Kolkata, Meerut and Pune seamlessly was a mammoth task. The campaign’s creative agency, Talented worked with multiple media partners like Coral Media and MOMS to select OOH locations that were ‘blocked by trees’. ‘Nature Shapes Britannia’ was thus brought to life in partnership with a range of trees like Nag Kesar, Aam, Neem and Peepal.

Sharing insights into the process, Aabhaas Shreshtha, Founding Member & Creative, Talented says, “When developing this campaign, our key creative benchmarks for success were rooted in authenticity. We aimed to convincingly showcase Britannia’s genuine commitment to sustainability, overcoming the common perception of such efforts being mere gimmicks.”

“Our team had a personal aspiration for this campaign: to inspire a lasting change in the outdoor advertising industry,” adds Prashant Gopalakrishnan, Founding Partner, Talented.

Sustainability in OOH has been a hot topic in adland. Last December, GroupM and IOAA came together to form a task force to implement eco-friendly practices in the OOH industry. The committee aims to guide media owners in adopting sustainable practices, with an ambition to ensure that 50% of all advertising sites in India will utilise recyclable materials by 2027.

Around the same time, Publicis OOH India launched FlexForward, a transformative green initiative to extend the lifecycle of vinyl flexes used in the OOH industry. In partnership with leading NGOs such as Goonj, FlexForward collects post-campaign flexes and repurposes them into eco-friendly utility items, including rain tarps, tote bags, and women’s utility pouches.

Talented envisions a future where every corporate and agency includes a crucial brief: ‘No tree pruning for campaign visibility’. Gopalakrishnan shares that the shift has already begun with the agency’s client adopting this eco-friendly approach. “This impact extends far beyond our campaign, and we're proud to have played a part in sparking this positive change,” he says.

The response received by Nature Shapes Britannia indicates that consumers are drawn to brands that champion sustainability. It’s also a nod by the advertising industry for a move towards sustainability in the OOH industry. It will be interesting to see more brands, agencies and media partners follow suit in the months and years to come, as this shift towards purpose-driven marketing continues to gain momentum faster than ever before.