FUR HURTS

TitleFUR HURTS
BrandPETA
Product / ServiceETHICAL TREATMENT OF ANIMALS
CategoryB04. Non-Corporate
EntrantOGILVY BEIJING, CHINA
Entrant Company OGILVY BEIJING, CHINA
Advertising Agency OGILVY BEIJING, CHINA

Credits

Name Company Position
Zhong Shi Beijing Time Machines Advertising Phtographer
Canna Jiao Neo@ogilvy Beijing Business Director
Olivia Fang Ogilvy Public Relations Beijing National Knowledge Manager
Freya Yan Ogilvy/Mather Advertising Beijing Senior Account Executive
Iris Huang Ogilvy/Mather Advertising Beijing Senior Account Manager
Uma Wang Ogilvy/Mather Advertising Beijing Business Director
Peony Wu Ogilvy/Mather Advertising Beijing Chief Digital Officer
Hang Qi Ogilvy/Mather Advertising Beijing Art Director
Ashley Chin Ogilvy/Mather Advertising Beijing Art Director
Peggy Wang Ogilvy/Mather Advertising Beijing Senior Art Director
Morris Ku Ogilvy/Mather Advertising Beijing Senior Art Director
Awing Chen Ogilvy/Mather Advertising Beijing Associate Creative Director
Ming Law Ogilvy/Mather Advertising Beijing Associate Creative Director
Yong Xie Shenyang University Professor
Guilin Bo Ogilvy/Mather Advertising Beijing Associate Creative Director
Xingsheng Qi Ogilvy/Mather Advertising Beijing Creative Director
Kweichee Lam Ogilvy/Mather Advertising Beijing Head Of Copy
Wilson Chow Ogilvy/Mather Advertising Beijing Associate Executive Creative Director
Juggi Ramakrishnan Ogilvy/Mather Advertising Beijing Executive Creative Director
Graham Fink Ogilvy/Mather Advertising Beijing Chief Creative Officer

The Campaign

Animal rights are not high on the priority list of most Chinese consumers. It is not necessary because they don't care; most people are simply unaware of the animal sufferings. Through the artistic interpretation of the animal's pain, we want to get the public to face the horror. The art show interacted with the consumers and gave them a firsthand opportunity to feel the pain of the animals' sufferings. The experience was spread even further through the help of a few celebrity volunteers. The result was a tenfold increase of the participants in the conversation aout putting a stop of the fur trade's cruelty against the animals.

The Brief

The goal was to raise awareness of the cruelty against fur animals and call for pledges against fur from the consumers.

Results

- Over 80,000 people have already pledged to give up fur. Five mainstream TV stations, 30 digital media, covered the event and the coverage was reposted on 40 famous Chinese artists' personal sites. On social platforms like Weibo and RenRen, the sculptures have sparked a debate and fueled a growing outrage against the fur industry. - The topic "Fur Hurts" has been discussed more than 40.000 times at Weibo within a week, which is 40 times over industry average. - Celebrities like Sun Li have joined the cause and her anti-fur video gained more than 20,000 retweets at Weibo. The Video was retweeted 21,878 times, has more than 61,523 clicks in 3 weeks, which is four timesover the industry average. The "Fur Hurts" website has more than 137,700 page views. PETA's Weibo account has more than 4,000 fans increase after the event.

Execution

We got 36 skilled sculptors to cover dozens of life-size animal models - including minks, rabbits and foxes - in over half a million needles. The show travelled around the chilly northeast provinces of China where fur demand is highest. Visitors' emotions ranged from pleasure to surprise to horror, as they are first drawn to the animals, and then realised they were covered in needles, and finally unconvered the story of their torture. We also built an online site where people could pledge never to wear fur and share their thoughts on social platforms. Celebrities were invited to endorse the event with video statements that were forwarded by their followers on the social network.

The Situation

Demand for fur is increasing in China. But fur animals are treated in a crul fashion, often being skinned alive and left to die in excruciating pain. The law doesn't care. And the fur-wearing Chinese public has no clue. Graphic violence in awareness campaigns hasn't worked. It only makes viewers turn away quickly. To get through to people, we needed an approach that didn't depend on shock and awe or blood and gore.

The Strategy

Because of the graphic nature of the matter, we need to be able to create an alternative way to show the truth of the fur undustry without the gore. We need to create an event that can draw the attention of the consumers without shocking them, and touch them with the message by having them feeling the pain that these animals have to suffer.