Tackling Rhino Poaching – A Realistic Female Approach

The Guardian has reported a fascinating piece of realistic communication strategy from Melbourne businesswoman, Lyn Johnson, who wants to stop the multimillion-dollar business of importing rhino horn into Vietnam. 100g of rhino horn can fetch $6000, dearer than gold. Lyn runs a business consultancy and is quite inexperienced in wildlife conservation.

What Did Lyn Do?

Lyn was shocked by a documentary showing that rhino poaching has soared 5000% since 2007 with 1004 animals being killed for their horns in 2013.

Lyn did some research and, using contacts in the local Vietnamese community, she found out that:

“The use of rhino horn in Vietnam is more symbolic than for medical purposes..

It’s given either as a gift to negotiate business deals or to show that you have a high status in the community.”

Lyn says:

“People aren’t worried about the cost of it and they don’t have an affinity for the plight of the rhinos. But we found out they would be worried if the rhino horn had a harmful effect to those they gave it to.”

SO…
she raised $20,000 to place the ads in prominent Vietnamese magazines and newspapers and began targetting the wealthy Vietnamese elite, consumers of rhino horn.

Lyn’s Lateral Thinking

1) Referencing a South African project to inject rhino horn with toxins, one of the ads shows a mother feeding her child with the text

“It’s not worth the risk of giving your child poisoned rhino horn.”

2) Another shows a business deal being conducted with the warning that the rhino horn could cause the recipient to suffer nausea and diarrhoea.

And Now??

Lyn aims to raise another $250,000 using crowdfunding on the website Breakingthebrand.org to place the ads in the airports of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. She says she aims to slow down consumption though sadly there’s no indication the slaughter of rhinos will stop suddenly.

Well done, Lyn!