Who: The Amazon Rainforest Conservancy (ARC) and Zulu Alpha Kilo, with UM for media.
What: The organization’s first holiday campaign, #RainforestFireChannel, offers an pointed alternative to the fireplace channel popular this time of year—video footage of the burning Amazon rather than a burning Yule Log.
When & Where: The initiative is running through December on a dedicated website, RainforestFireChannel.com, supported by a PSA running on TV and in-cinema. The media buy by UM also includes national out-of-home and Snapchat pre-roll.
Why: To raise awareness of the staggering damage being done to the Amazon Rainforest, which produces more than 20% of the world’s oxygen. More than 120,000 fires have been detected in the Amazon this year alone, while deforestation has risen 30% over the previous year.
Interest in the Amazon fires has waned since the summer, but the fires continue to burn—with an acre-and-a-half of land lost every second. The campaign’s goal is two-fold: Raise money, while also pushing the issue back into the public consciousness by having people share the link on their social feeds.
How: ARC is driving to the site with a 30-second spot that opens on footage of a log burning in a fireplace, accompanied by Christmas music and the message “This holiday, there’s one fire we should all be watching closely,” followed by a dissolve into footage of the Amazon burning. The video at RainforestFireChannel will run through the month.
And we quote: “In August, everyone was talking about the Amazon burning. But now with it out of the media, people think the problem has gone away, and it hasn’t. That’s why we launched this initiative.” —Jana Bell, president of the Amazon Rainforest Conservancy