Blue Marine Foundation
Client
Blue Marine Foundation
Services
Earned Media Relations
Once thriving in the millions, the African Penguin, known affectionately as the ‘Tuxedo Torpedo’, has seen its numbers plummet by 97%. Now classified as critically endangered, it faces extinction in the wild by 2035 unless urgent action is taken. For years, the conservation community had sounded the alarm, but public and political mobilisation remained elusive.
Overview
Despite its deep cultural significance in South Africa and status as a national icon, the African Penguin’s plight was failing to register with the public.
The brief
Conservation fatigue, political distraction and a lack of compelling storytelling had left the crisis buried in specialist media. Our brief was to elevate the issue into the mainstream, mobilise mass support, and pressure policymakers to act ahead of a landmark court case.
The solution
We anchored the campaign in emotional storytelling, reframing penguin conservation as a personal, human issue. Drawing on their monogamous bonds and social intelligence, we built a campaign that connected the dots between love, identity, and survival.
The centrepiece activation, Penguin Love in Peril, launched over Valentine’s Day and used the penguins’ lifelong pairings to dramatise the urgency of the threat. We also rolled out a high-impact multichannel strategy, combining press, influencer advocacy, a petition with OnlyOne, and a landmark media event in Cape Town.
A digital social toolkit made it easy for partners and media to share key messages, while polling research revealed that over 60% of South Africans didn’t know the species was endangered, creating a powerful media hook. Ocean activist Zandile Ndhlovu narrated the campaign film, amplifying reach and cultural relevance. Everything led toward a coordinated wave of public and political pressure ahead of the March 2025 court hearing.
The campaign achieved 304 pieces of earned media coverage and reached a global audience of 1.9 billion people. Over 30,000 people signed the petition, national awareness jumped by 25%, and the narrative broke beyond conservation circles into mainstream consciousness.
The impact
And most importantly, on the eve of the High Court trial, the South African government issued a ruling protecting six key African Penguin breeding colonies with no-fishing zones. It was the first decision of its kind and a direct result of the political and public momentum the campaign helped generate. Operating on a limited budget, this campaign turned emotion into policy, storytelling into action, and helped pull a species back from the brink.