Overview
Participant Media’s documentary The Cove uncovers the truth about the horrifying international capture and killing of dolphins. Most people in Japan have no idea that this crime is even happening. The documentary makers went to great lengths to secretly film the slaughter of these magnificent animals. Their goal was to share the story with the world.
Challenge
A cove in a small seaside village in Taiji, Japan, is just one of the traps used to capture the world’s friendliest creature. Life in captivity is the fate of the most attractive dolphins captured -- the rest are slaughtered for their meat.
With the goal of forcing the Japanese government to stop these brutal murders, The Cove’s producers wanted to share details of this tragedy with the world and enable supporters to spread the word by signing a petition and writing letters to government officials.
The Gasland team approached us with a need to get the word out about the film, and the upcoming screenings. They had recently had success at various film festivals but wanted to make sure they could reach a wider audience. We had run a successful campaign for The Cove and were excited to see what a Gasland Spark could do. Unlike The Cove, their footage was not celebrity studded, nor did it have the allure of the dolphin and an Oscar win. So, imagine our joy when a little indie doc with zero star power raced out of the gate in it's first week with 25,559 views and an interaction rate of 51.9%.