People For The Ethical Treatment Of Animals (PETA): Huntsman Condoms – Peta Pranks Hunters

Credits & Description:

Client: Peta Asia
Product: Animal Rights (Peta Asia)
Entrant: Mullenlowe Singapore, Singapore
Idea: Mullenlowe Singapore, Singapore
Media: Mullenlowe Singapore, Singapore
Pr: Mullenlowe Singapore, Singapore
Editor: Feb
Executive Creative Director: Erick Rosa (MullenLowe Singapore)
Agency Producer: Jacqueline Wong (MullenLowe Singapore)
Group Account Director: Gonzalo Olivera (MullenLowe Singapore)
Account Manager: Fan Yang (MullenLowe Singapore)
Account Executive: Cara Foong (MullenLowe Singapore)
Head of Television: Jonathan Gerard (MullenLowe Singapore)
Photographer: Alvin Tan (Teo Studio)
Producer: Terence Chan (Neon Sound)
Senior Art Director: Fabio Santos (MullenLowe Singapore)
Senior Art Director: Martin Coppola (MullenLowe Singapore)
Senior Copywriter: Guy Lewis (MullenLowe Singapore`)
Editor: Adam Snyder (MullenLowe Singapore)
Illustrator: Natasha Hellegouarch (Freelance)
Web Designer: Leandro Reis (Freelance)
Animator: Joanne Chua (Emoxis)
Sound Engineer: Matthew Koh (Neon Sound)
Sound Engineer: Joshua Tan (Neon Sound)
Website URL: http://huntsmancondoms.net/
Describe the campaign/entry:
PETA developed a brand of condoms called Huntsman. They had a hidden agenda – to encourage hunters to stop reproducing. They secretly and successfully marketed Huntsman across the world with a digitally lead, integrated campaign that exploited the most relevant media channels to hunters.
Creative Execution:
A film, web banners, and a website were developed to generate awareness around Huntsman Condoms. In addition we seeded the product with social influencers within the hunting community and mailed out hundreds of Huntsman condoms to famous hunters and influencers including Walter Palmer and Trump’s sons. Finally – we snuck into the world’s biggest hunting expo – The Great American Outdoor show - and handed hundreds out to unsuspecting hunters.
The prank was revealed on the 14th of April 2016 and generated massive global press coverage. In just ten days it reached 2.1 million people through social media and generated 3,088,434 USD worth of PR- all for a total campaign cost of only 10K USD. More importantly it gave the world the chance to mock recreational hunters, kept the issue of such an abhorrent activity in the public eye, and generated thousands and thousands of meaningful conversations about how to stop the spread of hunting while sharing an important but overlooked reality: hunting, like all bad habits, is passed on from generation to generation.
PETA is a strong advocate for animals rights and speaks out against recreational hunting. Their messages however are largely ignored by the hunting community. They wanted to let hunters know that although they cannot be legally accountable – they can still be made fun of. To reach hunters and show that they cannot escape – they decided to trick them.
Insights, Strategy and the Idea:
PETA infiltrated the hunting community through Huntsman – a pseudonym website and email address was created to engage with hunting distributors, social media influencers, stores, hunting businesses and hunting entertainment shows. The content produced and the media channels used were based on what’s popular and relevant in the hunting community. Finally – the condoms themselves were designed and marketed to be like a piece of hunting gear in a language and tonality that appeals to hunters.