One of the World’s Largest Advertisers Is Asking Brands to Help Endangered Animals
By Kristina Monllos
Originally posted on Adweek.com
CANNES, France — Mars, one of the world’s largest advertisers, is asking other major brands to help animals at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity. The company is a founding partner—along with production company Finch and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)—of a new fund, The Lion’s Share, that will help with wildlife conservation and animal welfare.
“Animals have appeared in advertising for over 150 years,” said Andrew Clarke, chief marketing and customer officer at Mars, told Adweek. “In fact, animals appear in 20 percent of all advertising. Given the many challenges in the world, whether it’s conservation, wildlife, biodiversity and—close to home for us—around pets, we believe there’s a real opportunity to make a big impact in the world.”
Clarke continued: “We’re calling on all large advertisers—we’re one of the world’s largest advertisers—[to contribute] a small percentage of the media budget, 0.5 percent, on that campaign that features an animal in the advert. That will go in a fund to help the wildlife, environment, biodiversity and help save species across the world.”
The hope for the fund, which will be run by the UNDP, is that it will raise $100 million in the next three years. The UNDP and other civil society organizations will make sure that money is invested into wildlife conservation as well as animal welfare programs.
“Animals are in 20 percent of all advertisements we see,” noted famed naturalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough, who is serving as a Lion’s Share special ambassador, in a release. “Yet, they do not always receive the support they deserve. Until now.”
