Campaign: JAWS Never ReturnClient: Green Sense
WPP company: Grey Hong Kong
Shark fin soup is a luxury dish popular in many Asian countries and typically served at special occasions such as weddings or corporate banquets. According to Green Sense, an environmental NGO based in Hong Kong, over 70 million sharks are killed each year for their fins, and studies indicate that some species have been depleted by over 90% in the past 20 to 30 years. Fishing techniques are also cruel, with fins removed from live sharks which are then thrown back into the sea to die. In 2010, Grey Hong Kong worked pro bono with Green Sense to raise awareness of this issue and encourage people to stop consuming shark fin soup.
Grey Hong Kong created a campaign called JAWS Never Return which included a spoof JAWS film poster portraying humans as the predator as well as a series of point-of-sale communications highlighting that if you consume shark fin soup, their blood is on your hands.
The campaign extended to over 10 Hong Kong schools to educate students about the impact of the shark fin trade. The JAWS film poster was also used at a demonstration at the Hong Kong Wedding Expo, to encourage couples not to choose shark fin soup for their wedding. To date over 40 organisations in Hong Kong have pledged to avoid ordering shark fin soup at their corporate functions.