DEPICTING THE ENVIRONMENTAL “MONSTERS” PEOPLE SHOULD REALLY FEAR ON HALLOWEEN

Every year on Halloween night, thousands of children dress up as what scares them most, and go door-to-door collecting candy. While most kids fear fictional monsters, few are aware of the real monsters their generation is up against – which is frightening in and of itself as they’re quite serious. Factory farming, oil spills, overfishing, and pesticides are matters that require considerable attention and should make every person feel uneasy and concerned. For Halloween 2016, we created frightening masks depicting these very real and very scary environmental issues affecting their future. By dressing up as these real “monsters” regular kids would be able to educate and provoke thought – among children and adults alike – when asked “what are you supposed to be?” on Halloween night.

BRINGING THESE REAL “MONSTERS” TO LIFE IN A LINE OF HALLOWEEN MASKS

We released a line of terrifying masks depicting four core issues central to WWF’s fight against climate change in the week leading up to Halloween. Each mask came packaged with a short story explaining the threat and its impact, allowing children to learn about them and, in turn, educate adults about the horrors of climate change. To announce its release, we created an eerie video featuring child activists that was shared on our social platforms without paid media support. The masks were showcased at an art gallery event in the heart of Toronto’s creative district where industry and community members and activists were attendees. Masks were available for purchase, with all proceeds going to support WWF. When the masks quickly sold out, we encouraged parents to visit our website where digital print-outs of each mask were available.

5 million earned impressions across all digital media.

150,000 video views in its first three days despite $0 media spend.

WWF donations increased by 1500% when compared to 2015.

The masks sold out both online and at the pop-up gallery, kids all over the country were able to spread WWF’s message while trick-or-treating. The masks and accompanying campaign video were covered by multiple environmental, news and creativity blogs worldwide.