Great Outdoors Colorado’s (GOCO) Generation Wild

We wanted to reinforce the fact that Generation Wild was giving away 100,000 packages

by Amber Larkins, OOH Today

We aren’t seeing as many kids outside as in generations past, and we aren’t seeing as many bees either. According to a National Academy of Sciences study, bumblebees have declined 72%. In Colorado, 20% of bumblebee species are at risk of extinction. 

 Sukle Advertising & Design recently launched their latest campaign for Great Outdoors Colorado’s (GOCO) Generation Wild movement. This initiative combines kids and bees; kids will get outside to plant wildflower seeds that will save the bees.  

The summer campaign was partly inspired by a successful winter campaign, “Say Hi With A Snowman,” which encouraged families to build snowmen for kids at Children’s Hospital Colorado. The campaign gained organic traction, spreading to 16 states and five countries.

Sukle wanted to create a similarly impactful and meaningful way to engage kids outdoors in summer. After finding research on the decline of bees, he came up with the planting wildflower concept. 

GOCO was immediately on board. Together, they developed the free wildflower seed product, designed the packaging, and created a distribution system that would reach every corner of Colorado. They plan to distribute over 100,000 free seed packets across the state.

Wilderflowers™ are inspired by Generation Wild’s spokescreature, Wilder. They feature a custom Colorado-native seed mix that supports the local pollinator population. Sukle and GOCO partnered with local libraries, Little Free Libraries, and other nonprofits making the free seeds available at 247 locations. 

The retro-pixelated design of the packaging, inspired by Nyan Cat, adds a playful and nostalgic element to the campaign. Nyan Cat is a 2011 internet meme that features a pixelated cat with the body of a PopTart flying through space.  

Sukle developed an integrated campaign to drive awareness and interest in Wilderflowers among Colorado families. The campaign utilizes OOH, digital, social media, and events. Playful OOH executions use seed packets to create mosaic art on traditional and digital billboards, while videos run on Meta, Snapchat, Reddit, programmatic channels, connected TV, and in movie theaters.

“We wanted to reinforce the fact that Generation Wild was giving away 100,000 packages; it seemed only natural that building the images out of thousands of packages helped to reinforce that,” Mike Sukle, owner of Sukle Advertising and Design said.

Additionally, florafitti installations in city parks use flowers to spell out messages like “Save Bees.” Wilder and the Bee Team are making appearances throughout the summer to engage with the community.

GOCO and Sukle have been working together since 2015 to help get kids back outside. Their work together has made a measurable impact on families in Colorado. For this campaign, OOH is the primary awareness driver, with 23 boards in the Denver area and 17 in other places across the state. 

As of June 21st, the campaign has received 21 pieces of earned media coverage. 

“Our client has reported that they have been overwhelmed with emails asking for more information about the campaign. And we’ve heard that some distribution partners have already given out all of their Wilderflowers,” Sukle said.

By engaging kids in purposeful outdoor activities, Sukle and GOCO are fostering a sense of empathy and responsibility in the next generation while addressing critical environmental concerns. The Wilderflowers campaign exemplifies how creative advertising can drive meaningful change in the community.

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