Two campaigns aim to shock people into compassion for wildlife

Ad Nut approves of anything that tries to make the world a better place for animals of all shapes and sizes, and likes the fairly confrontational nature of two pieces of work running at the moment for WildAid/Change Vietnam and IFAW.

In the WildAid/Change Vietnam campaign, created by Dinosaur, an independent agency based in Ho Chi Minh, three badly disfigured animals, an elephant, rhino and pangolin, kneel before Buddha to ask for a respite from persecution.

Each species continues to suffer unnecessarily as people consume their respective products—tusks, horns and scales—without considering the facts or the consequences. The campaign puts the onus on consumers to change by making the point that “when the buying stops, the killing can too”.

The work follows the Buddhist tradition of Tsethar, where people save living beings that were destined for slaughter.

The statues will appear at different Buddhist establishments throughout Vietnam until 10 March, including the Dang Quang Institute and Khanh An Monestery in Ho Chi Minh, the North Tay Thien Pagoda, and the Vinh Nghiem Pagoda.

Running concurrently is a global campaign for IFAW by Publicis, which through elegantly designed but macabre imagery aims to make the point that by damaging one part of an ecosystem (such as depleting the shark population through overfishing), every living organism is negatively impacted.

At heart, Ad Nut is an optimistic soul and, bearing in mind that the Lunar New Year is a time for reflection and self-betterment, wants to believe that these thoughtful efforts will at least spur some people to reconsider their consumption habits. At the same time, Ad Nut notes that humans have unusually thick skulls, and wonders if even these are still a bit too subtle. 

Ad Nut is a surprisingly literate woodland creature that for unknown reasons has an unhealthy obsession with advertising. Ad Nut gathers ads from all over Asia and the world for your viewing pleasure, because Ad Nut loves you. You can also check out Ad Nut's Advertising Hall of Fame, or read about Ad Nut's strange obsession with 'murderous beasts'.