Planet Earth - Habitat Explorer
For third series of David Attenborough’s acclaimed series BBC Planet Earth III, The Open University requested an engaging digital outreach activity which would deepen the learning experience of their physical posters and origami, whilst also maintaining relevance across the eight part series.
Our approach
To fully immerse viewers in the distinct ecosystems of the spotlighted animals, we created Habitat Explorer - a WebGL globe which transported audiences to three habitats across the world.
In collaboration with academics and habitat experts at The Open University, we 3D modelled and animated endangered animals, recreating their biology and environments in WebAR for a stylised yet authentic, learning experience. To enhance each environment, our developers embedded atmospheric soundscapes and tappable hotspots which provided supporting educational content.
The results
Broadcasted to an astonishing audience of 10.6m viewers after 28 days, Planet Earth III became one of the highest rated programmes of 2023.
As the credits rolled, Sir David Attenborough impassioned viewers with a call to action, resulting in thousands of visitors flocking to the experience for an average dwell time of 4 mins 2 secs and an impressive 82.9% engagement rate across the three weeks.
The campaign was recieved enthuastically by the creative community picking up an FWA Site of the Day and a Gold Honour at the Shorty Impact Awards; an international competition dedicated to rewarding purpose-driven work which drives positive change.
