The Loud agency's anti-live animal export ad will continue to run on national television and radio, despite the government issuing a temporary suspension of Australia's $330 million cattle trade with Indonesia today.
The ad, which was produced for animal protection groups, the RSPCA and Animals Australia, was launched last Saturday.
It followed ABC's Four Corners' exclusive coverage on Monday last week of the brutal slaughter of Australian cattle in Indonesian abattoirs.
Loud Agency chief executive officer, Lorraine Jokovic told AdNews: “It's not over yet. It's only a suspension. The ad will continue to run until the Prime Minister agrees to a full ban.” The legislation will be introduced to federal parliament on 21 June.
Jokovic believes the ad is working on two levels; by putting pressure on the government and industry through viewing the campaign, and through driving public opinion.
“That spearheads a huge social marketing campaign on Facebook, twitter and lobbying,” she said, adding that public donations to advocacy group, GetUp, to keep the ad on television have surpassed $338 000 since Sunday.
RSPCA spokesperson, Lisa Chalk, added: “These are the sort of pictures the government and Australia don't want to see. The only reason [live export] has continued is because it has happened on foreign shores, away from our view. The ad is so effective because its putting it in front of the community.”
Since its launch, the online TV ad and five additional “ban live export” videos from the RSPCA have received half a million views.
Loud agency told AdNews it won't be creating a new ad following today's announcement. “The message we've already got out there is strong enough,” Jokovic said.
“This sort of campaign needs to be actively managed. It's extremely confronting [footage] and we had to temper some of that because people will tune out if you go too far.”
Loud are carving a niche through supporting animal rights groups. From 2009-2010 they produced an ad campaign on pig farming in sow stalls, which led to rural industry service body, Australian pork Limited, volunteering to move away from intensive pig farming late last year. Tasmania legislated to phase the practise out altogether.
The live animal export ad will continue to be broadcast across metropolitan and regional television stations and all metropolitan radio stations.
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