Raising awareness with creative visualisation

In Finland, Fairtrade is known for Fairtrade bananas and coffee. Now Fairtrade is reaching out to a younger demographic and is reminding consumers of the ethical issues related to one of the most controversial treats – chocolate. Finns love chocolate, but only a few brands have certified their products as Fairtrade chocolate. Fairtrade is challenged by the chocolate producers’ own, competing certifications that are unfortunately not as strict as the Fairtrade certification.

We found out that chocolate as we know it may disappear, or become a rare luxury treat, by 2050 because of predictions that rising global temperatures will affect cocoa crops and force farmers out of business or to switch to more profitable crops. Buying Fairtrade certified chocolate has a positive impact on the environment as it supports producers with tools and practices to adapt.

To raise awareness of Chocogeddon, the end of chocolate as we know it, we wanted to bring the message home in a more creative and catchy way – so that we could increase awareness and understanding of Fairtrade certification among younger audiences, which in turn would increase sales of chocolate products made with Fairtrade chocolate.

To symbolise the earth heating-up and its effect on the environment, we melted four endangered chocolate animals. Campaign materials sign off with payoff “Save the chocolate, choose Fairtrade chocolate”.

Endangered animals highlight the threat

The animals were selected because they represent the fate of all wildlife as a result of climate change. In Finland, the snowy owl is extremely endangered because of climate change. Frogs all over the world are suffering, but it’s particularly poignant in Ghana, which is the world’s second-biggest cocoa producer.

The African elephant will have a hard time adapting to a changing environment and the real threat of extinction would also “speed up the climate crisis”. Monkeys in South America are vulnerable and face an “elevated risk of extinction”.

Animals melted people’s heart – in Finland and abroad

Right at the start, the campaign faced a major challenge as Facebook started to censor advertising linked to climate change. Luckily, the campaign piqued people’s interest.

During the campaign week, Fairtrade chocolate became a trending topic on Twitter and other social media channels, as people took a stand for Fairtrade chocolate and challenged big brands. Organisations, universities and municipalities also supported the campaign as well.

We reached over 400,000 Finnish people in our target group. Then we caught the eye of the media in Finland and abroad. We reached almost 2 million people globally with earned media.