For about six years now I have been working closely with the dynamic ad agency Saatchi & Saatchi, Cape Town. I was introduced to them by the Two Oceans Aquarium and commissioned them to help me change peoples perceptions of sharks for my SOSF M-Sea Programme. The result was the award winning RETHINK THE SHARK campaign. Since then I have continued to work with them in the development of campaigns that help us raise awareness about the plight of our oceans. Not too long ago I presented them with a new challenge, to come up with a campaign for the Save Our Seas Foundation that would educate and create awareness about the plight of our oceans. A couple of meetings and intense discussions on how to approach such a complex topic, fraught with many issues, sparked their creative ingenuity. The result is the SOS OCEANS SPEAK OUT awareness campaign, which literally gives the oceans a voice, something only Saatchi could conjure up! The first element was a number of large shells collected by the team, each fitted with a mini speaker device.Lifting the shell to one’s ear, the listener experienced the voice of the ocean making a direct plea for help and directing them to the SOS website. Bright and early this morning we set the shells strategically on the beach and waited for people to find them. I was on stills and Glenn Seiler on video. Tomorrow we are on the beach before the crack of dawn to set up the next element.
