“We’re all in the same boat” – SailGP joins forces with Creatures United to engage fans in the conversation for a Better Planet
- SailGP announces pioneering creative partnership with Creatures United, with a goal to engage over 50M fans
- Bespoke SailGP Creatures will provide a voice for fans to engage with and champion the Impact League – sport’s first podium for the planet
MONDAY 23 SEPTEMBER 2024, NEW YORK: SailGP, the world’s most exciting racing on water, has announced an innovative partnership with Creatures United, a creative platform to raise awareness around biodiversity, kick-starting at New York Climate Week 2024.
SailGP introduces a team of six Creatures – a whole SailGP boat – who will act as champions for Purpose storytelling and the Impact League. Their selection is a careful consideration of species, habitat, inclusivity and relevance, and each has their own unique story to tell…
SailGP and Creatures United will work together to amplify stories of nature as a valued teammate, driving awareness of SailGP’s pioneering Impact League and broader issues facing our planet. The Impact League, which runs alongside the racing championship, tracks teams’ efforts to reduce their environmental footprint and promote inclusivity in sailing. Throughout the upcoming 2024-2025 season, Creatures United will be embedded in Impact League milestones, with the Creatures helping tell stories about the positive environmental impacts generated by SailGP athletes and the league.
Creatures United is a collaboration between artist Yago Partal, the Sunshine Agency, On Purpose Group, and Project17. Project17 is led by Gail Gallie, the co-founder of Project Everyone, the team behind the creation and promotion of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and original Global Goals campaign.
A first of its kind in sport, the partnership is aimed at addressing a communication challenge: the gap in consumer engagement with climate change and connection to nature. As it stands, 2 million species are at risk of extinction – with loss of biodiversity posing an imminent threat to many aspects of our lives as humans, impacting our natural world and our racetrack, the ocean. While many recognize the importance of sustainability and protecting biodiversity, action remains low. In 2023, just 22% of the global household population classified themselves as eco-conscious consumers. Adopting relatable, human-like qualities, the Creatures aim to help audiences better connect with topics and themes of sustainability.
Today’s announcement is the next step in SailGP’s ongoing commitment to leveraging sport as a force for good, says Fiona Morgan, Chief Purpose Officer at SailGP: “We know there’s a huge consumer engagement gap with climate change, and sustainability actions. Our bespoke team of Creatures will use their voices for good globally – showing that sport has the opportunity to shift mindsets. This is our first-ever fan engagement campaign and we are incredibly excited to, in an unexpected creative way, engage our fans to drive real meaningful change.”
Endorsing the partnership, Gail Gallie, Project 17, commented: “SailGP’s committed use of sport as a voice for good aligns perfectly with our mission and we’re excited to be working with them via our Creatures. It feels like the partnership is a natural coming together of two platforms that are driven to use their voices for good – helping show that nature is something we can actively collaborate with. By giving nature a voice, we hope the collaboration will connect more deeply with SailGP’s fanbase and further promote the importance of biodiversity and the need for action.”
To learn more about SailGP and Creatures United’s innovative partnership, as well as meet the team of SailGP Creatures, visit www.sailgp.com/creatures to follow the journey as they work together to create a tangible impact both on the water and for the planet.
ABOUT Creatures United / Project17 // Described as “the muppets on a mission to save the natural world”. Creatures United is a new digital/social platform to raise awareness and action for nature. Created by a group of seasoned campaigners and communicators, with artist Yago Partal, the Creatures are using art and creativity to help humans realise they are a part of nature not apart from it, and stand ready to partner with like minded humans all over the world.
Project17 was created to help brands take action on the planetary challenges of our time. We work with brands to identify new paths to progress, to refine their plans, to communicate their activity in innovative and distinctive ways.
