Making a bang with your budget: When activists lead the way
Image: Ryan Blackwood for Serious People
When we picture “successful campaigns,” we might think big brands, slick production, celebrity spots, drone footage in far-off locations. And maybe, months of planning, big teams and deluxe budgets.
But here’s the thing: money doesn’t dictate impact. Some of the most memorable campaigns in recent years came from activist-led groups operating on modest budgets, leveraging innovative ideas, strategic channels, bold visuals, and timely distribution.
What activist organisations may lack in funding, some counterbalance with sheer creativity and resourcefulness to spread awareness, and promote action. Because that is in their DNA.
At Tone def., we believe that brands who genuinely want to make a difference share that fiery energy. And while you might feel small in comparison to the big players in your category, your vision and clarity of purpose might take you further. So let’s get inspired by those who put their creativity on the line to get us to think and act.
Here are five standout campaigns that show how creativity and clarity beat deep pockets.
(Note: we’ve excluded direct protests or heavy audience-participation formats, focusing instead on media/creative activations.)
Clean Creatives – “The F-List Awards”
Image: Clean Creatives
The campaign: A big report, a live-streamed parody award show & social media campaign
The concept: In 2024, Clean Creatives analysed thousands of agency contracts with fossil-fuel companies; then turned the findings into a parody awards show to shame the ad industry for its role in climate harm.
Strategy & execution highlights:
The organisation produced a comprehensive global report revealing hundreds of fossil-fuel contracts across the ad and PR sector.
Live-streamed the tongue-in-cheek F-List Awards, hosted by an Emmy-nominated writer, publicly “honouring” agencies for their work with fossil fuel clients.
Ran highly targeted LinkedIn ads aimed at holding companies, marketing teams and C-suite executives.
Used short-form video to “pre-bunk” predictable criticisms before they appeared.
The results:
Significant coverage in major industry publications.
41 more creative agencies pledged to go fossil-free within a week of the report launch, joining the 1500 strong movement started by Clean Creatives.
Our takeaway?
Don’t underestimate your audience’s appetite for honesty and capacity for change. Celebrate common ground and start a conversation. When you strip away the gloss and speak plainly, you build trust, and momentum.
2. Led By Donkeys – Guerrilla Billboards, Projections and Stunts
Image: Jiri Rezac/Led by Donkeys
The campaign: Out-of-home (OOH) advertising & viral social content
The concept: Since 2019, Led By Donkeys have been producing an ongoing series of campaigns, replacing or projecting messages in public ad-spaces: billboards, buses, beach-fields… with politicians’ own past words to spotlight hypocrisy and generate a social conversation.
Strategy & execution highlights:
The campaign uses public spaces normally used for commercial ads to turn the medium into the message, with as its signature, politician quotes presented as tweets on hoardings.
Its fact-based, unique minimalistic approach allows for adaptation to a wide range of formats, making for spectacular and memorable deliveries, whether on billboards, walls, trucks, or even beaches.
An astonishingly successful crowdfunding strategy for the 2019 campaign (with over 1.2 million raised) - allowing the group to scale dramatically
The results:
Millions of organic video/social views;
National and international media coverage in major outlets
Recognition and amplification from public figures including Stormzy.
Our takeaway?
Sometimes the most powerful thing to do is to let the problem you’re trying to solve… speak for itself (loudly).
3. Bite Back 2030 – Youth-Led Billboard Takeover vs Junk-Food Ads
Image: Bite Back
The campaign: Out-of-home billboard takeover, along with social amplification
The concept: In August 2024, Bite Back 2030’s youth board took over premium South London advertising spaces to challenge junk-food marketing aimed at children.
Strategy & execution highlights:
The idea was simple: replacing usual advertising with one simple message: “Young Activists Bought This Ad Space So Junk Food Giants Couldn’t.” to protest for children’s health and highlight manipulation via junk-food marketing.
It then leveraged social content of the takeover to amplify reach beyond the physical site.
It centered the voices of the demographics most affected
Results:
A strengthened media coverage and engagement among Gen Z audiences; reinforced policy momentum on ad-restrictions.
The campaign won the 2025 Sheila McKechnie Award for Best Consumer Campaign.
Our takeaway?
If you want to build trust, hand over space to those who you’re speaking to. Don’t just let your audience speak, center and celebrate their voice.
4. Brandalism – Satirical Art / Social + OOH Campaign (UK)
art design by Michelle Tylicki. For Brandalism. Image: Brandalism
The campaign: Social & OOH tied to a cultural event
The concept: In 2024, ahead of Shell’s shareholder vote on its climate strategy, Brandalism replaced over 200 UK ads with satirical artworks attacking Shell’s sports sponsorships and “green” messaging.
Strategy & execution highlights:
Using subvertism (the art of subversive advertising), to counter advertising by major polluters
Taking over 200 billboards across the UK
Collaborating with artists to produce striking, culturally literate visuals.
Directly targeting Shell’s sponsorship of sports organisations as a greenwashing tactic
Results:
hundreds of membership cancellations and the resignation of the cycling organisation’s former CEO.
Major coverage across BBC, Euronews, The Independent and more.
Increased pressure on Shell’s agency Havas London and concerns around its B-Corp status.
Our takeaway? Collaborating with artists not only fosters a more authentic relationship with your audience, but also amplifies your story through an array of voices and interpretations, reenergizing your reach.
5. Serious People - Asset Manager Quest (microsite & game)
Credits: Serious People
The campaign: Microsite, social media & guerilla activation
The concept: In 2024, Serious People launched this retro-style video game that lets players “become” the CEO of Abrdn and make choices that impact a sustainable or unsustainable future, highlighting the company’s fossil fuel investments.
Strategy & execution highlights:
A simple quest game where players take the role of Abrdn’s chief executive and take decisions with serious consequences on a sustainable (or not) future, highlighting how the firm is ‘toying with our future’
An old school aesthetic referencing classic quest games
A guerilla operation to challenge employees and leadership to play the game via a portable arcade machine outside its Edinburg offices.
The game was delivered to remote staff’s inboxes and advertised though billboards
Results:
Coverage in dozens of outlets including the prestigious Financial Times
Kicked off an industry wide conversation on LinkedIn and raised public awareness about abrdn's fossil fuel investments.
Whilst we’re yet to see serious policy change commitment from Abrdn, the pressure surely has raised a notch.
Our takeaway: At Tone Def., we love gamification done right. In this instance, the use of play truly integrates with a play on word, while empowering the user to genuinely experience the path of action being criticised. A fantastic example of leveraging the power of immersivity.
Conclusion
Connecting with your audience shouldn’t be limited by budget. With a sharp idea, the right medium, and a clear message, there are many creative ways to execute your campaign and make an impact.
At Tone Def., we believe in making creative work that resonates louder than its spend, crafted for brands with genuine purpose.
Looking to make your next story? Let’s chat!
