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Animal protection organization Save Wild Tigers is sharing the harsh reality for most tigers in its newly launched spot.
Made together with independent agencies Monster Sauce and Worth Your While, the six-minute film titled "Ray the Rug" stars British actor Ray Winstone as the tiger Ray, who speaks about the tragic fate of most of their species.
Throughout his monologue, Ray shines a light on the global poaching crisis bringing wild tigers to the brink of extinction with each passing day.
The hard-hitting spot was inspired by statistics revealing that 96% of the tigers' habitat has been lost, making them an endangered species.
Furthermore, due to threats of illegal poaching, the number of wild tigers has gone down to 4,900 worldwide, officially becoming extinct in countries such as Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.
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Save Wild Tigers sought to share these truths and send out a message to bring awareness to the crisis.
Winstone, who shares in the cause, called the endangerment of wild tigers a "sad reflection of what is going on in our world today."
"We are supposed to be the intellectual beasts of this planet, yet we often prove to be the most barbaric species of all," he added.
Worth Your While ECD Tim Pashen further explained the idea behind the campaign, telling DesignRush:
"One motivating force behind writing the film was reflecting on the fact that my two- and four-year-olds boys, who have stuffed tiger animals, toys, and hear about them in their bedtime stories would grow up in a world without any tigers left in the wild. This is a much more grown-up story about the reality facing tigers.”
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The short film will be screened around the world across digital platforms and media channels over the next two years.
While simple and straightforward, the latest advert from the organization packs an emotional punch with its honest brand storytelling.
It also shows how nonprofit organizations rely on expert digital marketing strategies to send their message across and raise funds for their advocacies.
The Story of Ray
"Ray the Rug" kickstarts with Ray the tiger introducing himself to the audience by telling a joke.
"What's the fiercest flower in the garden? A Tiger Lily," he says, crediting his mom for the line.
He then goes on to tell the story of how he lost his mom, who was murdered by a human.
While Ray was told humans love tigers, their actions spoke differently. After losing his mom, he then lost his home in the forest as humans built roads, houses, farms, and more.
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One night, Ray's foot was caught in a human trap and later on, he was hit in the head by a human. They then sold his meat as a delicacy, turned his bones into wine and medicine, and used his teeth to create necklaces and jewelry.
"And what was left of me? Well, I was turned into this handsome rug you see before you," he tells the viewers.
Ray then hits us with hard-hitting statistics, saying only over 4,000 of his species are left around the world as human demand for dead tigers has gone up in demand.
He ends his monologue by telling us to not let our children grow up in a world without tigers before repeating his Tiger Lily joke.
There may be no better way to raise awareness about an issue than creating an impactful video and sharing it to the world.
Recently, O2 and VCCP London highlighted the struggles of data poverty in a new holiday spot.
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