John Cooper Clarke Shares His Love of the English Coast for the National Trust

The National Trust is set to unveil an integrated participatory campaign to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Neptune Coastline Campaign on 13th July. Aiming to highlight the 775 miles of coast cared for by the conservation charity, and encourage the nation to explore all that these beautiful and rugged landscapes have to offer, the summer campaign will incorporate above and below the line communications along with an extensive social media and influencer programme led by Mischief PR. 

To help kick start the campaign, the charity has collaborated with celebrated poet Dr. John Cooper Clarke to pen the start of a new poem reflecting the nation’s love affair with coast and reminding them of the care that is needed to protect it for future generations. Inspired by his own connections to the sea, Dr. John Cooper Clarke’s first verses form the voiceover of the ATL creative set against a backdrop of rugged British coastline shot across various Trust properties. 

Thomas Bryant, Director said: ‘‘We wanted to bring the coast into the cinema. Into the home. To give viewers a glimpse outside their current location and remind them what’s on their door step. It was very important to us to recreate the feeling of the coast, the texture. We wanted to conjure sensation – the smell of salty air, the feeling of bare feet on wet sand. It’s a film about lost childhood memories, the wonder of being by the sea for the first time, that moment in the car where you glimpse the ocean on the horizon... Ultimately we wanted to create something intimate, human and in the moment - heart felt details and fleeting glimpses.’’

The 60 second ad, created by advertising agency 18 Feet & Rising, is set to air on Mon 13 July at 8.45pm during Coronation Street with £1.4 million invested in the integrated advertising campaign rolling out across TV, Cinema, VOD, digital, and social media and PR investment supporting throughout the summer. The campaign sees, for the first time, the charity leading with a social call to action.

Following the launch, Mischief PR and Mindshare will lead the national participatory campaign that asks the public to help Dr. John Cooper Clarke complete the poem by submitting contributions that sum up their love for the coast. The contributions will help inspire the poet to create the rest of the verses of the poem, which will be unveiled in autumn via the collaborative piece of work from both agencies. The contributions can take the form of words, pictures, social media posts or even sounds, with submissions made using #lovethecoast.

Mark Scott, Marketing Agency Director at National Trust, said: ‘‘This campaign is an exciting move for the Trust and a significant step towards a more brand led marketing approach. People know the National Trust for the amazing properties and gardens that we look after, but we wanted to highlight the 775 miles of shoreline that we care for and focus on the emotional connection that these places have with people. Many people, Dr John Cooper Clarke included, have memories of childhood holidays and enjoy walks along the beach and if we can inspire the nation to get out this summer and share their love for the stunning shores we have on our doorstep then the campaign will have done its job.’’

Launched in May 1965, the Neptune Coastline Campaign is one of the longest running environmental campaigns in western Europe and has resulted in the National Trust managing 775 miles of coast in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, equating to over 10% of the UK’s coastline. 

The ambitious project that aims to save the UK coastline has been powered by the generosity and support of hundreds of thousands of people to date. 2015 also sees the Trust announce a new coastal vision for the future, helping to continue to grow and protect our shorelines for ever, for everyone.

Throughout the summer there will be a huge host of National Trust activities varying from working with writers, artists and musicians to capture what the coast means to the nation, to a collaboration with The British Library to record the sound of UK shores.