Davines · Ocean Keeper program · Live-action advocacy video
Advocacy Video for Davines Ocean Keeper: From the Surf to a Beach Clean-up
Davines needed its Ocean Keeper program to read as an invitation, not a brand claim. This advocacy video talks to one viewer, gives ocean plastic a single beat at 0:18, then shows the response: beach clean-ups, the Plastic Bank partnership and the ask "Mache mit" (join in).
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Davines · Ocean Keeper
- Client
- Davines
- Campaign
- Ocean Keeper 2024, German version
- Made for
- Davines customers and community, invited to join beach clean-ups
- Format
- Live-action advocacy video with German subtitles
- Style
- Surf, underwater and drone shots, then beach clean-up scenes and a product end card
- Length
- 1:06
- Production timeline
- 3 to 4 weeks
- Budget
- $1,200 to $2,000
The problem: a pledge people read but never join
The Davines YouTube description lists 5 ecodesign principles, from using less material to making products easier to recycle, and says Davines offices and partners around the world run clean-up days. A list like that informs. It does not put anyone on a beach with a bag.
Any tech company with a cause program, from a climate pledge to a volunteer day, hits the same wall: a page of commitments gets read, not joined. The video had to turn Davines' facts into one ask, "Mache mit" (join in), and make the viewer feel part of the group before that ask arrives.
How the Ocean Keeper video moves from hello to a call to join
Every line is a burned-in German subtitle, so the video works with the sound off. English meanings are given in brackets. Select a time to play that scene above.
| Time | On screen | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| A dark open, then 4 surfers in silhouette on a dusk horizon: "Hallo.", "Vielleicht haben wir uns schon einmal getroffen", "vielleicht auch nicht." | Greets the viewer as one person ("Hello. Maybe we have met before, maybe not.") instead of opening on the brand. | |
| Long shadows of surfers carrying boards across the sand, then a surfer running into the waves: "Wir kommen aus alllen" and "Teilen der Welt zusammen." (the subtitle spells "alllen" with 3 l's) | Sets up a group from all over the world that the viewer could belong to. | |
| Underwater shots of a surfer diving under a wave: "Wir sind hier geboren", "wir sind dankbar und wollen respektvoll sein", "Wir hinterlassen keine Spuren auf unserer Reise." | States the group's values (grateful, respectful, leave no trace) before any problem is named. | |
| A plastic bottle and bag drifting underwater: "Dennoch werden Meere und Ozeane zunehmend verschmutzt." Then "Aber wir geben nicht auf." at 0:22, "Wir wurden geboren" and "um gemeinsam auf den Wellen zu reiten" over 4 surfers paddling out together. | Names the problem (the seas are more and more polluted) in one short beat, then turns straight to "we don't give up". | |
| A woman picks a bottle off the shore, 3 people join hands at the water, a drone shot shows volunteers spread across the beach:"Jedes Mal, wenn Du eine fürsorgliche Geste gegenüber dem Meer machst sind wir - die Davines-Gemeinschaft - an Deiner Seite." | Moves the action to the viewer: every caring gesture toward the sea has the Davines community beside you. | |
| Volunteers in matching white vests clear plastic from a beach: "Seit 2022 arbeiten wir mit der Organisation Plastic Bank zusammen um von jedem unserer verkauften Produkte die gleiche Menge an im Meer gebundenem Plastik wieder einzusammeln." | Backs the values with a rule: since 2022, with Plastic Bank, Davines collects ocean-bound plastic equal to each product sold. | |
| Drone shot of the coast, a man writes "OCEAN KEEPER" in the sand: "Mache mit und werde mit unserer Community zum Ocean Keeper!" Then the title card "OCEAN KEEPER" and "LASST UNS GEMEINSAM DIE SCHÖNHEIT UNSERER OZEANE BEWAHREN". | Makes the ask (join in and become an Ocean Keeper) and names the role the viewer takes on. | |
| After a dark beat, 3 Davines products next to a surfboard from 0:57: "Wir minimieren die auswirkungen unserer verpackungen nach den prinzipien des ökodesigns." and "Seit 2022 sind unsere produkte plastik net-zero." Davines logo from 1:04. | Shows the product only after the ask, tied to the packaging claim: ecodesign and plastic net-zero since 2022. |
Storyboard: the frames that carry the Davines advocacy video
Key frames from the finished video, in order. Select a time to play that moment above.
The video opens on a greeting to one viewer, not on the brand. 
The underwater shoot puts the viewer inside the ocean the group wants to protect. 
Ocean plastic gets one short beat. 
The turn to action comes straight after the problem. 
The script switches to "Du" and shows people acting together. 
A named partner and a start year back the promise. 
The ask is 2 words. 
The program name becomes the role the viewer takes on. 
The product shows up only after the ask, tied to a packaging claim.
4 decisions behind the Davines advocacy video
Decision 1
Say hello to one person
The first line at 0:01 is "Hallo.", and at 0:29 the video speaks to the viewer as "Du". The brand name first appears as "die Davines-Gemeinschaft" standing "an Deiner Seite" (at your side).
Copy it: Write the script to the single person you want to act, and put your brand beside them, not in front of them.
Decision 2
Give the problem one beat
Ocean plastic gets about 5 seconds, from 0:18 to 0:22, and "Aber wir geben nicht auf." follows at once. The rest of the video is about what people do.
Copy it: If your cause has a grim side, show it once, then spend the runtime on the action you want people to take.
Decision 3
Put a rule behind the promise
From 0:35 the video names a partner and a rule: Plastic Bank, and the same amount of ocean-bound plastic collected for each product sold. The end card at 0:59 adds "Seit 2022 sind unsere produkte plastik net-zero."
Copy it: Swap "we care" for the partner's name, the start year and the rule that ties your pledge to each sale or seat.
Decision 4
Give the viewer a named role
At 0:47 the ask is to become an "Ocean Keeper". The name is written in the sand at 0:48 and fills the title card at 0:51, so the call to join and the program name are the same words.
Copy it: Name the role people take when they join your program, and make that name the title of the video.
From the Ocean Keeper message to a 1-minute call to join
- One ask at the end. The subtitle script builds toward a single line, "Mache mit": values first, one beat of problem, then the clean-up and the Plastic Bank rule.
- Underwater shoot. Duck dives and wave shots from below give the opening its point of view: the ocean the group wants to protect.
- Drone shoot. Aerial shots of the coast and of volunteers spread across the beach show the size of the group.
- Edit and color grade. Warm dusk tones carry the surf opening, and bright daylight carries the clean-up scenes, so the shift from feeling to action is visible.
- Subtitles, titles and effects. The motion graphics and visual effects in the scope cover the German subtitles, the "OCEAN KEEPER" title card and the ecodesign end card.
- Sound design and mastering. Sound design and final mastering closed the project.
Scope of work:
Production took 3 to 4 weeks on a budget of $1,200 to $2,000. See the product advertisement video service for how a project like this is scoped.
Questions about the Davines advocacy video
Why does the Davines Ocean Keeper video open with "Hallo."?
The first 3 lines, "Hallo.", "Vielleicht haben wir uns schon einmal getroffen" and "vielleicht auch nicht." (0:01 to 0:03), greet the viewer as a stranger who might join the group. The brand does not appear until 0:32, as "die Davines-Gemeinschaft".
How much of the video is about ocean pollution?
About 5 seconds. A drifting plastic bottle and bag carry "Dennoch werden Meere und Ozeane zunehmend verschmutzt." from 0:18, and "Aber wir geben nicht auf." follows at 0:22.
What does the video say Davines does about plastic?
From 0:35 it says Davines has worked with Plastic Bank since 2022 to collect the same amount of ocean-bound plastic as each product sold. The end card at 0:59 adds ecodesign packaging and "Seit 2022 sind unsere produkte plastik net-zero."
What does becoming an "Ocean Keeper" ask the viewer to do?
At 0:47 the ask is "Mache mit und werde mit unserer Community zum Ocean Keeper!", set over a man writing "OCEAN KEEPER" in the sand after the clean-up scenes. The YouTube description adds that Davines offices and partners around the world organize clean-up days.
Why do the Davines products appear only at 0:57?
The video asks people to join before it shows anything to buy. The bottles arrive after the "OCEAN KEEPER" title card, next to the packaging claim, so the product reads as part of the pledge.
What did the Davines advocacy video take to produce?
The scope covered an underwater shoot, a drone shoot, editing, color grading, sound design, visual effects, motion graphics and final mastering. Production took 3 to 4 weeks on a budget of $1,200 to $2,000.
What Advids clients say
"Excellent! The whole team was very responsive and met all our requests within the timeframe we desired. We are very pleased with the final video and value received."Brad Dotson, Founder at Youpower
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