Lights Out London
Mobilising people to be green with a unique radio experiment
Audio(.mp3)
Background
In the context of growing environmental awareness, 95.8 Capital FM wanted to show the world that London was committed to tackling climate change. The aim was to encourage as many individuals, businesses, schools and organisations to save energy simply by flicking a light switch.
‘Lights Out London’ brought the concept to life then galvanised Londoners to play their part by making the simplest of changes.
Why radio?
The message was a serious one with the express aim of generating a response, so it needed to be presented in a way that was on the listeners’ level. Radio, and presenter endorsement in particular, is highly effective at explaining a concept, generating talkability and mobilising communities.
Radio connects with communities so can raise awareness of a weighty issue in an informative, entertaining and effective way.
implementation
The concept was simple – a campaign to encourage listeners to switch off all their non-essential lights for an hour on the longest day of the year when they needed them least.
‘Lights Out London’ was launched on 95.8 Capital FM a week before the designated hour for switching off lights at 9pm on June 21st. Breakfast presenter Johnny Vaughan interviewed everyone from London Mayor Ken Livingstone to representatives from EDF Energy and the National Grid – all of whom supported the campaign and helped put it into context for the listeners.
95.8 Capital FM presenters competed against each other to recruit different types of organisation. For example, afternoon presenter Chris Brooks was tasked with signing up schools while Drivetime’s Lucio had to recruit bars.
A live show between 7pm and 10pm led up to and ran across the ‘Lights Out London’ hour. It included reports from landmarks across the city such as Primrose Hill, Tower 42 and Piccadilly Circus.
Results
Over 10,000 businesses, schools and individuals registered online and by text, with 1,100 signing up via Facebook. Some of London’s highest profile buildings took part such as Buckingham Palace, Canary Wharf, the Houses of Parliament and St. Paul’s Cathedral generating extensive press and TV publicity. Furthermore, the neon billboards at Piccadilly Circus were switched off for the first time since 1939.
‘Lights Out London’ was mentioned in the Commons and benefited from a raft of celebrities supporting the initiative, such as Justin Timberlake, Sir Paul McCartney and David Attenborough.
During the ‘Lights Out London’ hour, 95.8 Capital FM’s website received 7 times more unique visitors than on an average evening as well as 10 times more texts. Lightsoutlondon.com received over 75,000 unique visitors.
Perhaps more importantly, EDF Energy estimated that 2% of the normal amount of energy consumed in London at that time was saved. This equates to more than 1 million light bulbs being switched off, which saved enough energy to run 3000 televisions for a year.
RAB Comment
The massive support that 95.8 Capital FM presenters managed to generate highlights the power of radio and the influence DJs have in their local community. It shows how a simple yet serious concept can spark people’s imagination, change attitudes and mobilise people to make a fundamental difference.
"Lights Out London presented a great opportunity on many levels for 95.8 Capital FM - tens of thousands of people participated, we received record hits to our website and secured a successful sponsorship with Sky who really endorsed the values of this campaign. Most of all, it really engaged our listeners and demonstrated how just a few small changes to lifestyle can make a big difference to our environment"
Tamsyn Clark, Project Manager, Lights Out London for 95.8 Capital FM