The Brief

Inform the Japanese public of the fact that there are less than 5,000 wild tigers left worldwide and that they are in danger of extinction. Increase the number of tiger conservation rangers in India. Make the campaign part of the branding efforts of professional baseball team Hanshin Tigers.

Creative Execution

JWCS Tiger Conservation Fund had only a limited budget and the use of mass media was out of the question. Therefore, we developed a campaign in which the 'baseball team Tigers helps save wild tigers,' and achieved great PR results by also getting the Tigers manager to cooperate with JWCS. The campaign provided more direct support, by making it possible to send tiger protection kits to India. For Hanshin Tigers whose home base is in Osaka, the campaign provided an ideal opportunity to win fans not just in Osaka but throughout Japan.

Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective.

In order to widely inform the Japanese public of the Tiger Conservation Fund of the Japan Wildlife Conservation Society (JWCS) and its activities in Japan, we linked JWCS with Hanshin Tigers, one of the most watched baseball teams in Japan. We devised a mechanism whereby one poaching patrol kit was sent to India every time Hanshin Tigers won a game, creating a buzz. We asked the very high-profile Hanshin Tigers manager to work with us, to add to the buzz.

Results

In terms of publicity and an effective appeal for wild tiger conservation in Japan, the message was featured in over 100 newspapers, magazines, TV programs, blogs and web sites. Hanshin Tigers won 240 games and JWCS was able to have 240 additional tiger protection rangers. At the same time, the team was also able to secure the No. 1 position in terms of the number of fans and spectators.