Science and sustainability: when your brand can’t sound sus

I’m sorry, ‘sus’? In Gen Z language, short for suspicious. In this case, referring to sustainability. Probably one of the biggest containerwords for brands to navigate. But what if you are the Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), and sustainability is in fact the baseline of every research project?

To help VITO communicate its real-world impact towards large industrial companies, we built a not-so-sus brand campaign based on one simple truth.

Where other brands can’t seem to mention the s-word enough, VITO keenly decided on an implicit strategy where they stand out more clearly and creatively.

The core message? Without proper research, sustainability remains a ‘maybe’. VITO is there to help you move from untested innovation towards market-ready technology, which we captured in the campaign baseline “Turning Maybe into technology.”

Inspired by real hypotheses, we created a series of Maybe’s that grab you by the grey cells while avoiding any “green language”.

From concrete and mining debris to surfplanks, sludge and stemware: a series of key visuals and animations formed a multi-channel campaign that highlighted VITO’s expertise towards R&D directors, sustainability managers, and CEO’s.

(Okay okay, the ladybug was only a proof of concept, but just look at the little fellow.)

The Maybe-series allowed VITO to apply a system. One idea that scales across channels, formats, business units, technologies, and research topics.

Case in point: the 3D animations that were used for LinkedIn ads, as a landing page backdrop, or wrap up around the expert interviews we shared from Love Tomorrow - a sustainable innovation summit at Tomorrowland grounds.

All of this ensured:

• Consistency
  Each unique Maybe shared the same trigger, message, and CTA.

• Recognition
  One solid identity that stands out and sticks with you.

• Creative ROI
  Helping the marketing team get maximum value out of every Maybe.

Maybe (no, definitely!) we can dazzle you too.