Fighting for rhinos by inspiring Vietnamese youth

It’s a frightening reality, and one that South Africans have been fighting for years – rhino poaching. In the first four months of 2016 alone, 363 rhinos were killed by poachers. Much of the illegal rhino horn ends up in Vietnam, currently the world’s largest recipient of legal and illegal rhino horn from South Africa. In an effort to change perceptions of rhino horn among Vietnamese youth, the Wilderness Foundation approached Boomtown to conceptualise a campaign to reduce future demand.

Through work done previously by the Wilderness Foundation and international schools in Ho Chi Minh City, 15,000 young Vietnamese were introduced to the rhino poaching crisis and invited to enter the Wild Rhino Competition. Twenty-two youngsters subsequently won a trip to South Africa to learn about wildlife, conservation and species protection and are now committed ambassadors for the Wilderness Foundation. A series of think tanks and workshops between Boomtown and these ambassadors resulted in the conceptualisation of the “Vietnam Be My Hero” youth campaign.

Boomtown MD Andrew MacKenzie says the team needed to step back from a Western way of thinking and rather use suggestions from the young ambassadors as well as cultural and consumer insights from Vietnam to create a campaign that would work in the region.

The end result is a campaign based on the use of peer education, featuring the thoughts and messages of the Wilderness Foundation youth ambassadors. Leaflets, posters and other marketing material is provided and distributed through schools. A Wild Rhino website and other social media platforms provide for further engagement and interaction.

The campaign aims to influence the way a generation of young Vietnamese see rhino and the consumption of rhino horn, and encourage a reduction in demand. It’s hoped they will adopt the cause against the use of rhino horn and be credible and authentic ambassadors who will influence the people of Vietnam. Ambassadors, in turn, are made to feel as though they are part of the solution – spreading the message against the use and purchase of rhino horn.

The second element of the campaign makes use of Vietnam’s strong comic book culture. Every storyline has its own hero who fights against crime and evil – providing a concept that is culturally relevant and one that the target market can relate to in a positive manner.

The Wild Rhino Initiative is part of a five-year strategy that aims to curb the use of rhino horn in primary user countries such as Vietnam.

The big take-out: Boomtown has created a campaign for the Wilderness Foundation aimed at influencing the youth of Vietnam to take up the cause against the use and purchase of rhino horn.