In Myanmar, one wild elephant is lost to poachers and skinners every week. Their skin and body parts, purported to have medicinal and spiritual properties, are sold openly in markets, despite the trade being illegal. WWF Myanmar learned that people in the country had little awareness of this fact. Through a six month campaign, we created and executed a broad campaign strategy that resonated with the local population and educated them on the crisis, while avoiding vilification of poachers. The approach highlighted the plight facing the elephant population to incite positive change. The campaign objective was, firstly, to end the open sale of illegal elephant and wildlife products in one to two high profile markets by April 2018, and secondly, to end open sale altogether within 24 months. It also aimed to raise international awareness to stop illegal wildlife trade activities around the world.

The campaign launched with a video developed for social media, alongside a media conference attended by over 50 national and international media titles. Subsequent briefings continued to be well-attended and covered. We targeted and collaborated with visual artists, musicians, film directors, bloggers, business leaders, and other like-minded groups and individuals passionate about environmental issues. All voluntarily leveraged their influence to heighten awareness. Partnerships were formed with local conglomerates who provided access to public spaces and media assets. For these organisations, the campaign was a low-cost, high-impact opportunity to rally employees behind a sustainability cause while getting profiled. Through these partnerships, our visuals appeared on billboards, cable cars and ATM machines; videos screened in malls and cinemas nationwide. Tactics including the paper mache elephants, a petition and a free concert were employed as engagement platforms. Social media content and blog posts were continuously developed throughout the campaign, sharing news and progress.