The Brief

Whilst John West in the United Kingdom committed to sustainable fishing methods, John West Australia refused. John West is the market leader of Tuna sales in the Australian market, obtaining over 1/3 of tuna sales and their FAD (Fish Aggregating Devices) methods of tuna fishing are producing approximately 1 million kilograms of by-catch each year. The aim of the campaign was to create as much public outrage and backing as possible, enough to affect sales of John West tuna. To do this we directly targeted anyone who can put pressure on John West like consumers, suppliers and media. This campaign included outdoor, online, in store, ambient and direct marketing.

Creative Execution

Greenpeace has never shied away from the truth and most of their communication is very provocative. This campaign needed to create awareness but also make a statement to John West that Greenpeace aren't backing away until they change their fishing methods. The turtle cans summed up everything we wanted to say in a simple and powerful visual device. The messaging on the cans informed people of just how many kilos of endangered sea life is killed every year through John West's fishing methods

Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective.

We created a piece of communication that put the problem right into peoples hands. The simple visual representation of the problem allowed people to make a stronger connection between the horrifying facts and John West. The campaign needed as much public awareness and backing as possible. The turtle cans gave people something to share, leaking onto Instagram, Facebook walls and Twitter feeds. We sent the cans to over 100 decision makers, bloggers, media personalities, social influencers and journalists. In turn people posted, wrote, tweeted and talked about it reaching an estimated audience of hundreds of thousands of Australian consumers.

Results

As part of a larger campaign there were some notable results in just 3 weeks. With thousands of people signing the petition and a reported drop in sales John West were feeling the results of the campaign. But there was only one we were after. And we got it! On 5 December 2012, John West released an official statement committing to environmentally friendly fishing methods. This was a direct result of the campaign and while it will cost John West millions of dollars, it will save millions of tonnes of marine life.