Running Wild
The brief called for a bold and shareable idea digital solution that can turn Gen Z into advocates for wild bees. When we first attacked the brief we wanted to find the most efficient way to make change. And in this case, it’s through physical planting of seeds in areas with low density of wild flowers.
Which is why we created Running Wild. A collaboration between bee:wild and Strava leveraging Gen Z’s interest for running and turning it into a collective marathon for planting wildflower seeds across the world.
Together with Strava we are implementing “wild runs” which are custom running routes that targets areas with low density of wildflowers. Here we can encourage young people to spread wildflower seeds there. Through using in-app features like challenges, stats and info. They’ll run the routes, share it with friends and set the movement going. Once enough runners have runned and seeds have been sowed the routes will update.
Bee:wild have worked closely with Univerities and scientists and aided in developing an AI mapping technology that surveys bee highways, paths of migration and areas low in pollination opportunities. By using this map we can find the key areas for spreading wildflower seeds, the most efficient way to create fast solutions to the bee decline.
But why do Gen Z to do this? After the pandemic Gen Z suddenly found out hey running is fun. And to them it’s more than just excercise, it’s about fun, purpose and community. 75% says they prefer to share running experiences with someone else. A lot of them share their runs through social fitness platforms like Strava – and a whopping 65% share runs on social media like TikTok.
By combining these insights we came up with our solution as a natural bridge between a physical problem and a digital generation. For Gen Z, running isn’t just exercise, it’s a social event driven by purpose. We're hacking this movement for the planet and teaming up with Strava to create Wild Runs.
The world is run by bees. So now we'll get the world to start running for them.
Awards:
After 24 hours and two pitches, we landed a silver at the Cannes Young Lions 2025 Global (Category Digital) Competing against top creatives (Under 30 years old) from 51 countries.