WWF — #StopWildlifeTrafficking
Stopping traffic - literally - by transforming zebra crossings with animal print and taking a hologram Elephant for a walk across them.
Imagine if the only African elephant left in the world was a hologram. To highlight the plight of endangered species around the world due to illegal wildlife trafficking, Manifest and WWF decided to literally stop traffic with a creative campaign that incited action and instigated change.
Transforming zebra crossings into “Animal Crossings”, we were able to create a visual metaphor to demonstrate how dangerous illegal ‘trafficking’ is. We reimagined each crossing with the markings of the world’s most trafficked animals; tigers, pangolins, elephants and blue macaw parrots, alongside harrowing statistics demonstrating the destruction caused by trafficking.
Each visually striking crossing, manned by a branded WWF promotional team holding “STOP WILDLIFE TRAFFICKING” lollipop signs, was designed to encourage user-generated content capture and social media sharing. A clear call to action urged over 100,000 people to sign the petition which would be presented to Michael Gove during the Illegal Wildlife Trade conference in London.
Why did the holographic elephant cross the road?
To really bring the story to life and add maximum impact and newsworthiness, we highlighted the statistic that more elephants are killed than are being born every year by creating a life-sized hologram of an African elephant. Enlisting the help of holographic experts, Kaleida, this haunting, giant image was eerily juxtaposed against well-known London backdrops, producing compelling images and video content.
The core message was that if we do not act now, an image of an elephant may well be all we have left to remember these magnificent creatures. The fading light of a hologram directly translated into the plight of the disappearing species in real life.
Amplifying the message
The combination of dedicated animal crossings and a hologram elephant appearing at six locations (St Paul’s, Abbey Road crossing, Houses of Parliament, the Illegal Wildlife Trade conference in Battersea Park, and St Ely’s Yard in Shoreditch) across three days in the lead up to the IWT conference, meant we were able to create compelling content for media, dedicated assets and exclusive content for broadcast media.
The elephant hologram really captured the attention of the public and helped us highlight the unfortunate truths behind the plight of these species. We were delighted that so many people joined our call for an end to this brutal trade, with over 120k demanding that world leaders act to stop wildlife trafficking.
Lisa Lee, WWF Executive Director of Communications
Awards
PR Week Awards 2019
Not-for-profit - WWF Stop Animal Trafficking (Highly Commended)
Drum PR Awards 2019
Best Event, Stunt or Promotional Activation - WWF Stop Animal Trafficking
Not for Profit - WWF Stop Animal Trafficking - Highly Commended
PR Moment Awards 2019
Stunt of the Year - WWF Stop Animal Trafficking