One year of Wild Spaces: how cinema advertising is putting climate action in the spotlight
Opinion
Pearl & Dean’s award-winning Wild Spaces series has raised over £130,000 for National Parks. But it doesn’t mean the credits are rolling just yet, says CCO, Clare Turner.
As an industry, we must do more to raise awareness of climate change and implement initiatives that address inaction. But sometimes it can be tough to know where to invest, what actually works, and what’s just lip service. What if there was a proven model the ad sector could invest in to drive meaningful environmental action?
In late 2024, we launched the inaugural Wild Spaces film, a first-of-its-kind cinema spot shown nationwide on Pearl & Dean cinema screens.
Pearl & Dean launches initiative to raise money for national parks
The initiative enables film-lovers to support nature simply by visiting the cinema. As well as being a funding tool for National Parks projects, it uses cinema to tell ‘good news’ stories in a truly emotive way.
Created by DIVE, our experiential agency, each episode brings a nature project to life, celebrates a National Park, and highlights the advertisers who fund it.
Having previously highlighted peatland restoration in the Peak District, rainforest management in Wales and Beaver habitation in Scotland, the latest episode takes us to North Yorkshire National Park, where the film documents the creation and monitoring of new coastal habitats, showing how artificial rock pools can transform concrete walls and harbour structures into living environments.
A front-row seat for consumer x climate attention
Advertising hasn’t always tackled climate change head-on. But today, consumers are increasingly demanding that brands demonstrate real action.
The majority (52%) of Britons say climate change is one of the most important, if not the most important, problems the country faces. Meanwhile, shoppers are willing to spend around 10% more on sustainably produced or sourced goods, as almost nine in ten (85%) report experiencing the disruptive effects of climate change firsthand. The value businesses derive from purpose-led marketing extends beyond sustainability to bottom-line benefits.
Brands can create real awareness by investing in a media model that converts attention into measurable environmental impact – and cinema and Wild Spaces do just that.
Couple this offering with our neuroscientific research that shows cinema ads generate consistently higher levels of memory and personal engagement than other media – 18% greater than TV and 29% more than digital – and you have a winning combination.
After all, where else in today’s hyperfragmented media landscape can you ensure your audience is rapt, smartphones turned off and conversations on hold?
Neuroscience explains why cinema ads are ‘significantly’ more impactful and memorable
Proof that purpose performs on the big screen
One advertiser using the power of cinema to demonstrate its sustainability credentials is Swedish car manufacturer Volvo, which has become the latest supporter of the Wild Spaces initiative.
Volvo joined Wild Spaces in October 2025 following the initiative’s successful launch with mobile network giffgaff. Since launch, Wild Spaces has generated 19m impressions for the brands involved.
Additionally, 98% of cinemagoers agree that giffgaff and Volvo’s participation in Wild Spaces made them feel good about the brands’ positive environmental actions (56% strongly agree), and 98% agree that the initiative showed how brands can tangibly drive real nature restoration (62% strongly agree).
So far, the project has generated over 19m cinema admissions and raised over £130,000 for National Parks. It’s why the Wild Spaces campaign scooped the 2025 Ad Net Zero Award for Media. But that doesn’t mean the credits are rolling just yet.
Advertising’s next act starts now
In April 2025, we appealed to both cinemas and brands to do more to protect the environment. In the months since, Wild Spaces has helped reshape expectations for advertisers, audiences and cinema owners alike.
It’s truly thrilling to have seen so much progress already – and we are excited about where Wild Spaces will head in 2026!
If climate-conscious initiatives can be this effective and deliver this level of business value, more brands can embrace environmental storytelling. These partnerships could easily become the norm, and not only in cinemas.
Clare Turner is chief commercial officer at Pearl & Dean