Bat Sh*t - Chief Productions, Bat Conservation International | Clapboard Ad Archive
Bat Sh*t, launched in the United Kingdom in 2020 by Bat Conservation International in collaboration with Chief Productions, tackles pandemic-fueled misinformation and ecological scapegoating head-on through a sharp, mockumentary-inspired short film that brings endangered and maligned animal species to the fore. Set during the height of global lockdowns, the campaign cleverly employs a charismatic British comedian to voice a lab-tested rabbit and joins an ensemble of pangolins, rats, pigs, birds, bats, and others — each given agency to articulate the overlooked reality that human behaviour, not wildlife, lies at the root of both the COVID-19 pandemic and deeper environmental crises. Steering away from the sober earnestness typical of public service work, Bat Sh*t leverages what Clapboard’s taxonomy would classify as FORMAT#12—Parody or Borrowed Format, lampooning nature documentaries and social discourse with a comedic, faux-documentary style that makes a complex subject culturally accessible and memorable. The content’s strategic timing — shot across continents during lockdown in just four days — underscores both the global connectedness of the issue and the nimble adaptability of the agency and brand in a media landscape dominated by uncertainty. By infusing scientifically grounded messaging with irreverent humour, Bat Sh*t sidesteps the apathy and fatigue that often hinder conservation efforts, reframing the narrative from blaming wildlife for zoonotic outbreaks to an urgent call for responsibility, empathy, and action toward environmental stewardship. Echoing the mission of its brand and agency, the campaign stands apart from traditional conservation communications by subverting expectations with wit and satire rather than didacticism, ensuring the message does not just inform but lingers with audiences. It speaks directly to the public service market’s challenge of cutting through noise at a time when misinformation and emotional burnout are endemic, demonstrating how pop culture references and format borrowing can drive both engagement and advocacy. The campaign earns 71/100 in Clapboard’s global creative archive. In recasting wildlife in the narrator’s seat and holding a mirror to human culpability, Bat Sh*t signals a new creative direction for the public service category, where smart parody and cross-genre storytelling advance the relevance and urgency of conservation messaging.