BC Salmon Farmers Association (BCSFA)

It was widely believed that farmed salmon was bad for human consumption, the environment and the wild salmon population. Conventional wisdom might have been to aggressively combat the misinformation and discredit the industry’s critics. However, DDB’s strategy for the BC Salmon Farmers Association (BCSFA) was to encourage the public to find the facts for themselves.

The main focus was on male Vancouver residents over the age of 40, who likely grew up fishing and had some familiarity with B.C.’s fishing economy. The second target included opinion leaders, politicians, and regulators who would be influential in determining the industry’s future.

The campaign launched with humorous television spots. The idea was “don’t believe everything you hear,” encouraging viewers to question what they had heard about salmon farming. Print ads were placed in key newspapers, providing facts and information with a light and amusing tone.

A task force of agency and industry experts was assembled to engage the public and media. Twitter, Facebook and YouTube were used to broadcast facts and encourage discussion. All channels drove traffic back to the website, which provided information about facts and myths, as well as acted as a forum for discussion – both positive and negative.

In post-campaign polling key topics in the debate saw improved support from the public; for example, the role of salmon farming in B.C.’s economy and the understanding that salmon farming helps reduce reliance on wild salmon. Seven out of 10 respondents said they were more likely to seek information on salmon farming after having seen the ads, and over 50% ranked their impression of the message as “favourable.”

The website saw 80,000 unique visitors and over 345,000 page views. A PR campaign generated 37 editorial stories and a total reach of 24,792,726 (the target was 3.5 million).

Opinion leaders and influencer feedback has been positive, and even with the BCFSA’s most vocal critics there was no negative response to the campaign.