ASIA-PACIFIC – SHANGHAI, CHINA, JULY 2011 – Animal cruelty has been an understated yet ever-present issue in China. Millions of sharks are used for local delicacies, millions of minks skinned for their fur, and thousands of bears disembowelled to make traditional Chinese medicine. Despite these staggering numbers and several previous attempts at public awareness campaigns, the deaths of millions of animals still continues unabated. The Huaxia Animal Protection Foundation has recently partnered with DDB China Group to give the mistreated animals of China a voice.
Instead of using celebrities or animal rights activists, DDB China and the Huaxia Animal Protection Foundation chose to use the only animal with a voice that people could understand: parrots. After training the parrots for months to speak out about animal cruelty, they were set up to speak in front of establishments that profited from the mistreatment of animals, such as restaurants serving shark fin soup, fur and leather clothing stores and traditional Chinese medicine stores.
This moving campaign has been successful, resulting in a 56% rise in awareness, as well support from 79% of consumers interviewed. The campaign was short-listed at the 2011 Cannes Lions Festival in the Media, Direct, and PR categories, and is best summed up by the DDB Shanghai Executive Creative Director Victor Ng in his statement: “There are few things more compelling than hearing an animal appeal on behalf of other animals. It’s an unconventional way to speak to a jaded audience and hopefully it can add another voice in the fight for animal rights in China.” Hopefully, the raised awareness will lead the Chinese government and trade industries, who have been neglectful of this issue in the past, to realise the importance of animal rights and to act on the initiative of this campaign.
“Going by how humans have been mistreating animals, we are the real animals here,” concludes Ng. Within this chilling statement is a challenge for the Chinese people to correct the wrongs committed against these innocent animals.
View the campaign video here.
CREDITS
Chief Creative Officer: Michael Dee
Executive Creative Director: Victor Ng
Creative Director: Jody Xiong
Copywriter: Victor Ng, Jason Jin
Art Director: Jody Xiong, Cong Ding, Jack Xuan
Agency Producers: George Ooi, Rico Zhang, Chongwen Zhu
Production Manager: James Chen
Directors: Qingsong Liang, Qiu Bo
Photographer: Keno Zhao
