SILVER

Siemens "Talking Tree"
PHD Germany

Siemens showed how a talking tree can create relevant content, engage an audience, and position Siemens as sustainable company.

PHD equipped a hundred year old oak tree with Siemens technology, which collected continuous data from the tree’s surrounding environment. In cooperation with the University of Erlangen and Germany’s leading science magazine “Spektrum der Wissenschaft”, PHD realized a worldwide media first, as the technology translated the data immediately onto different social media sites, giving the old oak tree a voice in the social space that could be heard across all of Germany.

The tree had its own microsite, Facebook account, Twitter feed, Flickr gallery and Youtube channel-- (all discreetly presented by Siemens). The Siemens “Talking Tree” was able to tell the world about the level of dust pollution, how he “felt” during times of high ozone levels or when it hadn’t rained for several days. By “talking” about the things that concerned him, our unusual brand ambassador made the abstract concept of environment protection a very personal and tangible matter for everyone. The collected data served conversational purposes and was also used for academic evaluations – which in time will provide Siemens with new green topics to talk about.

The “Talking Tree” became an extremely credible ambassador for Siemens. The campaign created a media frenzy with coverage in prime-time TV news and over 30 articles in newspapers, online sites and magazines. With over 2,500 followers on Twitter, more than 1,000,000 post views on Facebook and 425,000 YouTube visitors so far, the “Talking Tree” has generated a huge buzz. The initial media investment generated a ROMI of more than 600%. And best of all, the campaign helped to increase brand’s green image by 20% – a result many thought could never be achieved by the corporate giant.