18 May was Endangered Species Day and powerful images of species at risk from the National Geographic Photo Ark featured for a week on billboards in 22 countries and on every continent except Antarctica.
Primedia Outdoor, alongside other out-of-home operators, raised awareness about populations of species in decline all over the world and to inspire global audiences to learn how to help protect them.
The National Geographic Photo Ark, led by photographer Joel Sartore, is a multiyear endeavour to document every species living in zoos and wildlife sanctuaries, encourage action through education, and help save wildlife by supporting on-the-ground conservation efforts.
Animal lovers
Sartore’s breath-taking portraits motivate people to care about these animals and to do something while there’s still time to protect them. To date, Sartore has documented 8000 species, putting him two-thirds of the way toward completing the Photo Ark, which he estimates will include portraits of more than 12,000 species.
Primedia Outdoor supported this global out-of-home campaign by contributing space on 5 digital out-of-home displays in South Africa, seen by 1,639,911 people each week (ROAD 2015C). In total, the week-long effort reached an estimated 100 million globally through donated ad space on digital billboards, mall kiosks, tram cars, rail stations and other digital out-of-home formats.
Global audiences
The campaign featured 10 species, all of which are listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List as vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered. While some regions showcased endemic species, all of the countries highlighted the Sumatran rhinoceros, one of the most endangered large mammals on the planet. Global audiences will also be invited to visit PhotoArk.org to learn more about the species depicted across the digital out-of-home formats and learn about ways to protect wildlife and their habitats.
