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The brief

Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) asked Barley to promote its flagship international conference on regenerative and sustainable agriculture, driving awareness and sign-ups among priority audiences. Alongside boosting attendance, the campaign needed to reinforce CIWF’s role as a credible, solutions-focused voice on transforming global food systems — positioning the organisation with media, policymakers and sector leaders ahead of the event.

Insights and approach

We developed an integrated media and social campaign grounded in a clear understanding of CIWF’s objectives, audiences and global profile. Early planning focused on aligning messages, spokespeople and content to ensure consistency across markets, while putting robust collaboration and reporting processes in place.

A targeted media strategy sat at the heart of the approach. We prioritised relevant environmental, food, farming and policy media — nationally and internationally — to reach those most likely to influence, attend or amplify the conference. Activity included phased announcements, proactive speaker promotion, opinion-led content and timely news hooks linked to emerging sector debates and new research.This was supported by a coordinated social programme, activating CIWF’s channels and wider speaker networks. Short-form content highlighted speakers and sessions, while longer-form LinkedIn blogs built depth and credibility. Toolkits enabled speakers and partners to extend reach organically, ensuring momentum was sustained in the six months leading up to the event.

Results

The campaign successfully met conference booking targets while raising awareness of both the event and CIWF’s wider work. Barley secured consistent, high-quality coverage across a broad range of relevant outlets — from specialist environmental titles to policy and governance platforms — alongside background briefings with top-tier media.International media releases generated coverage on key themes including alternative proteins and the environmental impacts of industrial farming. This was reinforced by sustained event listings and third-party promotion from NGOs, academic institutions and professional bodies, helping to re-establish the conference as a major moment in the global regenerative agriculture calendar.

30

pieces of coverage secured

4.6m

opportunities to see/hear

200+

stakeholder organisations

The brief

Each year, millions of the pumpkins bought for Halloween will go in the bin without being eaten. Food waste is a serious environmental issue and a contributor to climate change.   

Barley supported Hubbub to promote its annual Halloween food waste campaign. #EatYourPumpkin aims to increase awareness of the waste created each Halloween by people not eating the pumpkins they carve.   

We wanted to reach and grab the attention of as many people as possible and encourage them to ditch carving in favour of decorating their pumpkins and eating them.   

Insights and approach

Our Halloween campaign tackled the shocking statistic that nearly half of the 30 million pumpkins were expected to be bought for carving would not be eaten – wasting around £95m worth of food.    

Targeting families with young children, we tapped into the concern of many parents about finances and making their food go further.   

Data showed that many people don’t actually enjoy the messy and time-consuming process of carving pumpkins and so, for the first time in the campaign’s history, we encouraged consumers to decorate their pumpkins, increasing longevity and the likelihood of it being eaten.   

We brought award winning children’s book author and artist, Rob Biddulph, on board to create a special “Draw with Rob” video, to inspire kids to decorate their pumpkins.  

We took a phased approach to outreach: raising awareness in early October and a high-impact push during half term, in the days leading up to Halloween. 

We also partnered with Netmums to reach our parenting audience, using paid media to increase visibility. By combining strong data with family friendly messaging and creative content, the campaign encouraged more sustainable Halloween habits and reduced food waste across the UK.  

The results

Overall, the campaign was a great success. ​  

 We secured 109 items of coverage with  just under 615 million​  opportunities to see/hear. 

  

Broadcast coverage included BBC Morning Live and Sky News FYI, a news programme for young viewers and 15 media interviews  were scheduled, mostly on local BBC radio stations.   

   

Print articles included Daily Mirror and Daily Express and online coverage included Mirror Online, Metro.co.uk and inews.co.uk. We also secured a feature in Mail Online. The Week Junior and a full page in First News.   

  

Rob Biddulph’s “Draw with Rob” video received 3,243 views, with 67,200  impressions. ​100% of viewers were aged between 35-44, meaning the target audience was reached effectively. 

  

Content via the Netmums partnership reached 4,479,462 across all platforms, against a target of 1,775,000.   

A follow up survey of 4000 UK residents showed 43% had seen messaging about eating pumpkins and 41% saw messaging about decorating instead of carving. 

615m

opportunities to see and hear

109

pieces of media coverage

4.5m

reached via Netmums partnership

The brief

LocalMotion is a social, economic and environmental justice movement created by six UK funders to tackle shared community challenges in Carmarthen, Enfield, Lincoln, Oldham, Middlesbrough and Torbay. After developing the LocalMotion brand, we were asked to create a series of video production assets that could bring its impact to life for funders and stakeholders. With funding pressures growing and community needs rising, the organisation needed compelling charity video content that demonstrated progress, strengthened engagement and inspired continued support.

Insights and approach

We developed a video series designed to reflect LocalMotion’s democratic ethos. This began with concept development, planning and storyboarding for seven films — a hero film, The LocalMotion Story, and six short films profiling each community. Bringing stakeholders into the process was essential. We involved representatives from all six places throughout development to ensure the narrative stayed true to lived experience.We organised a filming day in London, bringing together community leaders and people directly affected by the issues LocalMotion is tackling. For the six short films, we commissioned local videographers to capture place-based activity and interview local partners, blending this with footage from the central filming day. This approach ensured each film felt rooted in its community while contributing to a coherent, movement-wide story.

Results

The resulting films provide LocalMotion with a powerful suite of impact communication assets. The LocalMotion Story documents the movement’s journey so far — its achievements, challenges and the opportunities emerging from collaboration across diverse Places.The six short films offer deeper insight into each location’s ambitions and realities, highlighting how LocalMotion helps communities build connections, share learning and move collectively towards change. Together, the series gives funders and partners a clear, accessible and human view of what alternative, community-led models for social change can achieve. LocalMotion now has a set of flexible tools to inform, motivate and inspire supporters across the funding landscape.

The brief

ETP – tea’s global membership organisation – needed to rearticulate its mission and purpose to support its ambitious Strategy2030. Following a competitive tender, Barley was appointed to reposition the organisation and develop a new brand.

Our challenge was to unify the perspectives of ETP’s members and Board to create clear, consistent messaging that resonated across diverse audiences. Visually, the brand needed to reflect ETP’s credibility and pro-business approach while remaining relevant to everyone working in tea.

Insights and approach

The project began with ETP’s vision: a thriving, socially just and environmentally sustainable tea sector. Given its diverse global membership, Barley focused on understanding ETP’s structure, culture and communications from every angle.

Through surveys, interviews, and workshops with over 80 members, we uncovered key insights around perception and positioning. The existing name – Ethical Tea Partnership – carried colonial connotations and suggested certification, which no longer reflected ETP’s strategic direction.

Using both qualitative feedback and AI-assisted research to analyse definitions of ‘ethical’ and ‘partnership’, Barley identified the need for a name change while maintaining brand recognition. This insight shaped a clear brand strategy and creative direction.

Results

We helped ETP craft a mission aligned with its vision: catalysing systemic change to benefit everybody in tea – particularly in producing regions.

Our messaging and tone of voice guidance captured credibility, compassion and collaboration, ensuring consistency across communications.

We recommended shortening the organisation’s name to ETP, retaining brand legacy while removing outdated and restrictive associations. Working with design partner Yoke, we developed a brand identity that placed people at the heart of tea’s future:

  • A logo uniting tea, people and the world – elements greater than the sum of their parts.
  • Overlapping shapes reflecting ETP’s role at the intersection of industry challenges and opportunities.
  • Organic textures and warm photography highlighting the humanity behind the work.

The result is a refreshed, authentic and globally relevant identity – one that reflects ETP’s evolution as a catalyst for change.

“

ETP has worked with Barley Communications to redefine our mission, review and update our brand identity, and redevelop our website. They have been a true partner each step of the way. The Barley team made a conscious effort to understand our work, embed themselves in the team, and ensure a collaborative environment. Working with Barley Communications ensured a successful re-brand for ETP – and I would not hesitate for a second to recommend them.

Brian Lainoff

Head of Communications, ETP

The brief

Every Halloween, millions of pumpkins are bought, carved and then thrown away – wasting food, money and natural resources. Hubbub has been working to change this through its long-running Pumpkin Rescue campaign, which has steadily shifted public attitudes towards eating carving pumpkins.For 2022, Hubbub asked us to help expand the reach and impact of the Eat Your Pumpkin campaign. The aim was to accelerate environmental behaviour change by raising awareness of seasonal food waste and motivating more people to cook and eat their pumpkins rather than bin them.

Insights and approach

Ahead of Halloween, we commissioned polling of 2,000 UK residents to understand behaviours and barriers. The findings were stark: more than half of the 39.9 million pumpkins set to be bought were likely to end up as waste, representing £32.6 million of discarded food.

The insights also revealed an opportunity. With the cost-of-living crisis prompting many households to make food go further, people were open to practical, money-saving tips. But key barriers persisted — including not knowing how to cook pumpkin, limited time and low confidence in storing leftovers.

We used these insights to shape a targeted, behaviour-led campaign focused on families with young children and people aged 16–24. Messaging addressed real-world obstacles, offering simple recipes, storage hacks and step-by-step guidance on cooking and freezing pumpkin flesh.

The approach combined national media, digital content, influencer partnerships and community events to normalise eating carving pumpkins and make action feel easy and worthwhile.

Results

The campaign reached audiences at unprecedented scale, helping to mainstream the idea that carving pumpkins can and should be eaten. National online coverage shared Hubbub’s polling, tips and recipes across high-traffic outlets, while a broadcast day with chef Lesley Waters secured multiple BBC interviews and repeat airtime.

Digital engagement grew significantly, with strong interaction on social channels and a sharp rise in visits to Hubbub’s website for recipe inspiration. Regional cook-and-carve events also brought the message to life, supporting households to build new habits around seasonal food.Together, these activities strengthened public understanding of food waste and encouraged more people to take simple, practical steps to reduce their environmental impact.

  • 381m

    opportunities to see and hear

  • 172

    items of media coverage

  • 18.6m

    Opportunities to see from Jamie Oliver’s retweets

  • 3m

    Opportunities to see for Netmums content (190% above KPI)

  • 65,118

    website visits

  • 5,583

    people attended regional events

The brief

Suffolk Waste Partnership asked us to develop a behaviour change campaign to cut recycling contamination across the county. In 2021–2022, 28% of Suffolk’s recycling was rejected — an expensive problem for local authorities and one that increases the amount of waste sent for incineration or landfill.As a recycling communications agency, we were tasked with raising awareness of what causes contamination and helping people recycle correctly. We needed to reach households county-wide, with tailored focus on residents in flats and houses in multiple occupation where contamination rates were highest.

Insights and approach

Our insight was clear: simplifying the action required would make correct recycling easier. We centred the campaign on one memorable behaviour — shaking out recycling so it is clean, dry and loose, with no plastic bags.

We created #ShakeItOut, a playful, county-wide behaviour change campaign built around a hero animation and jingle inspired by the familiar rhythm of the Hokey Cokey. The upbeat tone made the guidance easy to recall and repeat.

To maximise value for this local authority communications project, we repurposed visual assets from the animation across all channels. Messaging was kept simple, positive and jargon-free — a proven approach for driving behaviour change.

This fully integrated behaviour change campaign combined paid and organic social media, PR, radio, cinema advertising and hyper-local out-of-home placements. Multi-occupancy buildings in hotspot areas received clear, practical signage to support residents on the ground.Digital activity ran for eight weeks, with bursts of paid social at the beginning and end to reach highly engaged audiences.

Results

The campaign delivered strong reach and engagement across Suffolk. Paid social content achieved 1.2 million impressions and 200,000 engagements, with the hero animation viewed half a million times on YouTube. Radio advertising ran across three stations for four weeks, reaching more than 23,000 listeners.

The animation was shown in five cinemas, reaching over 16,000 people — 46% more than planned. PR activity generated 17 pieces of coverage and 2.8 million opportunities to see or hear, including interviews on BBC Radio Suffolk and Radio West Suffolk and a front-page story in the East Anglian Times.Most importantly, contamination levels fell in the months following the campaign

1.2m

impressions from social ads

11k+

click-throughs to the campaign webpage

17

pieces of media coverage

2.8m

opportunities to see/hear

“

This fun and engaging campaign has been a great success, with bright, bold and impactful messaging, both online and offline, reaching tens of thousands of people across the county. Most importantly, we are now beginning to see measurable reductions as a result.

Barley has been great to work with, providing us with innovative designs as well as professional, reliable and adaptable project support. I would not hesitate to work with them again in the future.

Rob Cole

Suffolk Waste Partnership Manager

The brief

Keep Britain Tidy asked us to support the launch of its first Buy Nothing New Month, a new national waste reduction campaign designed to inspire people to change their buying habits. The aim was to encourage consumers to buy nothing new for January 2023, help them explore more sustainable alternatives such as reusing, repairing, borrowing and buying second hand, and build wider understanding of waste prevention as a key lever for cutting carbon emissions.

Insights and approach

Many people believe recycling is the main way they can help the environment, but the greatest impact often comes from buying less in the first place. Using focus group insight provided by Keep Britain Tidy, we shaped a clear sustainability communications campaign centred on everyday behaviours and realistic alternatives to purchasing new items.

As this was the first year of the consumer campaign, we focused on a receptive audience: 18–44-year-olds already showing interest in sustainable living. To reach them effectively, we built an integrated approach across paid and organic social, influencer activity, stakeholder engagement and PR.We developed a timely narrative playing on the post-Christmas period—tapping into common feelings of clutter, overspending and a desire to reset—to create strong entry points for behaviour change. Weekly themes ensured a varied, engaging rhythm across all channels.

Results

Early results show the campaign resonated strongly. More than 70% of participants reported buying nothing new during January, and 69% said they would think more carefully about future purchases as a result of the campaign.Paid social delivered standout performance, with almost four million impressions and a click-through rate more than three times the industry average. PR activity generated 2.6 million opportunities to see, including national coverage in The Sunday Telegraph and strategic bylines for Keep Britain Tidy’s chief executive in priority trade titles.

  • 200k

    impressions from organic social campaign

  • 710k

    impressions generated by influencer partnerships

  • 2,800%

    increase in engagement on Facebook, including paid social

  • 38%

    increase in engagement on Instagram

  • 2.6m

    opportunities to see/hear

The brief

WWT London engaged Barley in August 2022 to help deliver local media coverage as part of an overall communications strategy to help tackle low visitor numbers at the centre and integrate with wider campaigns.   

Insights and approach

We used World Mental Health Day as a hook to highlight the increasing body of evidence showing the benefits of spending time in nature on mental health. We positioned WWT London as an ideal location to experience blue and green space and created “Wellbeing Wednesdays” meaning half price entry to visitors every Wednesday throughout October.  

We engaged with local online and print media in key local boroughs that the client highlighted as priority areas and created a mailout for business partners, local authorities and key contacts.  

We used World Wetlands Day to raise awareness of the importance of wetlands in fighting climate change and its role in providing a place to rest and refuel for migratory birds. Pitching to local broadcast media, we offered filming opportunities and interviews with the staff which resulted in strong features on ITV London and London Live which landed all our key messages.   

The results

We secured coverage in a range of local print, online and broadcast media, including in-depth interviews with the General Manager and filming at the nature reserve with ITV London and London Live.   

WWT London reported an uplift in footfall as a result of our work. 

19

pieces of coverage

10m

opportunities to see/hear

“

It has been an absolute  delight working with Barley, sharing your enthusiasm and brilliant ideas. I truly wish we could have implemented it all. We have learned a lot from you about best practice and how to stand out from the crowd. Thank you so much for the great service.

Angelica Teixeira

Marketing and Comms Manager, WWT London Wetland Centre   

The brief

LocalMotion is a social, economic and environmental justice movement shaped and led by communities. Formed by six UK funders, it brings together six places across England and Wales to explore new ways of tackling embedded inequalities and shifting power to communities themselves. LocalMotion asked Barley to create a brand from scratch — one that unified the ambition of the six places and funders, articulated their distinct systems change approach, galvanised those already involved and inspired others to join the movement.

Insights and approach

As a brand development agency experienced in charity brand creation and systems change branding, Barley began with a deep immersion into the movement. This included extensive desk research into UK and US systems change initiatives, such as Living Cities, and how similar organisations expressed their ethos and role. We also carried out interviews with core groups in each of LocalMotion’s six places to understand the movement’s purpose in their own words and what they most needed from a brand.

It became clear that LocalMotion required a brand that was bold but approachable — capable of expressing the complexity of systems change while remaining accessible to communities, funders and partners. We distilled the movement’s multi-layered story into clear, engaging messaging that could resonate across a wide range of audiences.Given LocalMotion’s democratic way of working, the development process was collaborative by design. We coordinated regular feedback from the full LocalMotion cohort through surveys and in-person sessions, refining concepts step by step until the group reached collective agreement.

Results

Barley created a simple but striking brand that reflects the movement’s ethos and provides the clarity LocalMotion needed to grow. At its centre sits an uplifting logo featuring a human silhouette, representing community power, and a floating ‘i’ dot symbolising progress and movement. A rounded graphic language conveys approachability, connectedness and the foundations of long-term change, while a warm palette accented with vivid orange signals both optimism and urgency.

Alongside the visual identity, we developed a complete set of messaging guidelines — including vision, mission, values and a concise brand story. These replaced previously complex, technical language with a clearer, more engaging narrative that supports conversations across all six places and beyond.Following the success of the branding project, Barley now supports LocalMotion with ongoing communications, including social media and content development, helping the movement connect, share learning and continue to grow.

The brief

In summer 2020, more than a million people visited Bournemouth’s beaches across a three-day period, leaving around 40 tonnes of rubbish and triggering a Major Incident. In response, Hubbub and Ellipsis Earth launched a litter reduction campaign across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP), funded by McDonald’s. Using drone technology and artificial intelligence (AI), Ellipsis Earth carried out the UK’s most comprehensive litter survey to inform targeted interventions across beaches, parks and urban areas. Barley was asked to develop a compelling media campaign that would drive local behaviour change, amplify public understanding of the issue, and inspire other councils to adopt similar evidence-based approaches.

Insights and approach

With international travel still limited and England only recently emerging from lockdown, public spaces were expected to experience unprecedented footfall. This presented a rare moment to capture attention and encourage more responsible behaviour.

We used three ground-breaking datasets from Ellipsis Earth to anchor the campaign’s narrative across social media, local outlets and national media. Data from the initial May survey revealed over 1.5 tonnes of litter comprising 128,000 individual items—a 476% increase in littering compared with the March baseline. These findings provided the urgency and credibility needed to engage diverse audiences.Barley developed a phased media strategy aligned with each survey. Engaging early with BBC Click allowed the programme to follow the campaign’s progress over several months, while continued outreach ensured fresh coverage every time new evidence emerged. This sustained national interest and built momentum for the behavioural interventions being tested across the BCP area.

Results

The campaign achieved a 75% average reduction in litter where Hubbub’s interventions were installed, with some sites recording decreases of nearly 90%. In contrast, levels around the area’s 350 standard bins remained unchanged—demonstrating the value of targeted, insight-driven approaches.

Local media played a critical role in mobilising residents and visitors, while national coverage—including BBC News, ITV’s This Morning, The Daily Telegraph and The Daily Mail—elevated the issue and showcased the effectiveness of the interventions. Trade coverage helped generate interest from retailers and councils exploring similar environmental behaviour change initiatives.The programme is now widely regarded as a blueprint for data-led waste management, informing approaches used by councils such as Glasgow City Council.

82

pieces of coverage

158m

opportunities to see/hear

75%

average reduction in litter

90%

reduction in some areas

“

It is a joy working with Barley. They combine great strategic insight with an ability to tenaciously deliver results. On top of that they are an absolute pleasure to work with.

Trewin Restorick

CEO and Founder, Hubbub

The brief

Hubbub launched the world’s first Community Fridge Network in 2017—a practical, community-led solution to reducing food waste. The model is simple: open-access fridges where residents and local businesses can share surplus fresh food for anyone to take. Barley supported the national launch and continues to provide ongoing communications support.
Our objectives were to drive local awareness as new fridges opened, build national understanding of the Community Fridge concept, inspire more communities to get involved and attract further funding. Ultimately, the goal is to stop good food going to waste.

Insights and approach

Reducing food waste was the central message, but the Network also offers welcoming access to fresh, healthy food. With food banks often viewed as the default response to food insecurity, our communications needed to highlight the value of shared surplus without stigmatising those using the service.

We developed a dual media strategy. Human-centred stories from individual fridges secured engaging features on The One Show, Jamie Oliver’s Friday Night Feast and Radio 4’s You and Yours. Milestones and funding announcements gave us strong news hooks, leading to coverage in outlets including i, Huffington Post, The Guardian and MailOnline.

To broaden reach, we engaged former MasterChef winner Natalie Coleman and zero-waste chef Max La Manna, coordinating broadcast interviews and social content.In 2020, working within Covid-19 restrictions, we managed media activity around the opening of the 100th fridge by HRH The Prince of Wales at Dumfries House—achieving extensive national attention.

Results

Our communications have helped secure funding and equipment from national retailers and manufacturers, supporting significant growth of the Community Fridge Network. Local media coverage has strengthened community engagement; the Network now redistributes an average of 975 tonnes of surplus food every year—equivalent to around 1.9 million meals. Interest continues to grow, with more than 2,000 enquiries about setting up new fridges.

High-profile national coverage has included a full-page feature in the Sunday Telegraph following our hosting of food writer Xanthe Clay, and nationwide reach through broadcast-quality content produced with PA Media. Support from Co-op in 2021 enabled the opening of another 100 fridges across the UK, and the growth of the network has continued to over 700 community fridges in 2025.

Find your nearest community fridge

  • 743

    pieces of coverage

  • 598m

    opportunities to see/hear

  • 100

    community fridges opened

  • 975

    tonnes of surplus food redistributed annually

  • 1.9m

    meals shared per year

“

It is a joy working with Barley. They combine great strategic insight with an ability to tenaciously deliver results. On top of that they are an absolute pleasure to work with.

Trewin Restorick

CEO, Hubbub

The brief

Oceana appointed Barley to provide environmental campaign consultancy to support its ambition to secure a sustainable future for UK fisheries. As the UK left the EU, Oceana sought to influence government decision-making on the UK Fisheries Act and the setting of total allowable catch limits in UK waters. Our task was to strengthen Oceana’s voice on conservation campaign priorities and raise its UK profile at a pivotal moment for marine policy.

Insights and approach

With decisions on overfishing shaped by three key developments — the UK Fisheries Bill, the UK-EU Fisheries Agreement and the 2021 total allowable catch (TAC) negotiations — we designed a targeted strategy to influence each stage.

For the Fisheries Bill, we drafted a timely letter to the editor for the Daily Telegraph and issued a press release as the Bill reached Parliament, ensuring Oceana’s position was clearly and credibly communicated.

Ahead of the UK-EU Fisheries Agreement, we secured an opinion piece by Oceana CEO Andy Sharpless for Indy100 Conversations and prepared two outcome-based press releases to move quickly once the vote concluded.When national lockdown restrictions prevented Oceana’s planned physical activation during TAC negotiations, we pivoted fast. We used the release of Oceana’s first-of-its-kind UK fisheries audit to highlight the scale and impact of overfishing. This was supported by tailored social content and short video clips to extend reach across relevant audiences.

Results

Coverage of the Fisheries Audit was extensive, with a Guardian article trending in the number one news spot on Apple News on launch day. Prominent environmental voices — including Chris Packham, George Monbiot and Greenpeace — amplified the findings across social media, helping drive wider public attention to the issue of overfishing.The Indy100 opinion piece by Andy Sharpless gained further traction, shared multiple times by The Independent (3.5m followers) over several months. Together, these moments strengthened Oceana’s influence on UK marine policy and significantly elevated its national profile.

  • 46

    pieces of coverage

  • 247m

    opportunities to see or hear

  • 750+

    social media engagements

  • 3,000+

    video views

  • 342k

    timeline deliveries of #EndOverfishing

“

We very much enjoyed working with Barley Communications thanks to their PR skills, professionalism and responsiveness.

Melissa Moore

Head of Policy – UK, Oceana

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