“Hungry Boys is a creative agency with a digital heart. We try to do good advertising.” Hungry Boys does really good advertising. The agency also does work for good. This time all that good is for WWF.
Over the last century wild (Amur) tiger numbers have plummeted by over 95% throughout the world. Poaching and habitat destruction (aka, man) are persistent threats. The tiger is officially classed as endangered by the Internationals Union for Conservation of Nature. Only 450 exist in the wild today.
World Wide Fund for Nature – Russia asked Hungry Boys to create a campaign to raise awareness of the precarious situation the Amur tiger is facing.
The agency decided to do that by pitting man against beast – in a running race.
It built a website that lets people race against an Amur tiger in its natural habitat. By accessing the Run 4 Tiger Tiger Challenge and connecting it to their chosen running app, participants can go head to head in a time trial with an Amur tiger fitted with a GPS tracker. The tiger runs an average of 20km a day. Entrants can also monitor their performance other contestants by following the hashtag #Run4Tiger on Twitter.
Vlad Sitnikov, creative director, Hungry Boys, commented, “This is the first time in the world you can compete fairly with a truly professional runner, the Amur tiger, and benchmark yourself against the best. But, if you lose, you need to donate $5 to the WWF save the tiger campaign. Sound like fun? We think so.”
Top athletes from Moscow’s running clubs will be personally invited to compete via a special challenge from the tiger himself. Apps supported include: Nike+, MapMyRun, Strava and RunKeeper.
Anastasia Lykina, PR projects, WWF Russia, added, “The decline in the wild tiger population is a global issue. This is a positive and creative way to raise awareness of their plight. It’s a win-win situation. You get to race against this magnificent animal whilst simultaneously generating money to help protect it. It’s time to run for your life. Our tiger is waiting for you.”
Creative credits:
Agency: Hungry Boys, Moscow
Creative director: Vlad Sitnikov
Creator: Ksenia Apresyan
Art direction: Sergey Andronov
Design: Anna Komarova
Producer: Victor Kozlov
Motion designer: Sergey Yumakov
PR Manager: Alena Timchenko
