Greenpeace needed to visualize the worsening case of plastic pollution so we created a 73-foot decomposing blue whale on the shores of one of the most polluted cities in the country.

We used almost 160 kilos worth of plastic wastes collected from the ocean, and visualized a realistic dead whale with sprawling innards from its bloated underbelly, to catch the attention of locals within the area.

As we unveiled the dead whale, it immediately went viral online through a social post from one of the locals. It got picked up on social media because of its stark difference from other beached sea creatures—it’s big, brutal, and terrifying. Then when people realized it was made entirely of plastic wastes, people started talking about the issue of plastic pollution in our oceans, and joined Greenpeace’s call to the ASEAN leaders to recognize the issue.

The 73 feet Dead Whale was created using 160 kilos of plastic wastes collected from the ocean. We crafted it to appear real and lifelike, and it caught the attention of locals who posted the photos online. With social media as the main communication platform of the campaign, the Dead Whale immediately went viral through photos, explainer-type news videos, and news content, enough to call the attention of ASEAN leaders.

To give it further context, we distributed media releases that were used in publishing every relevant article to the “Dead Whale” and the ASEAN summit on Coastal and Marine Development.

Awareness was the main objective of the campaign which was fitting for the ASEAN Summit on Coastal and Marine Development that commenced in the Philippines.

With ZERO media spend, the campaign totaled 1.5 Billion impressions in over 100 countries. Top news sites covered the news: CNN Philippines, The Telegraph, People’s Daily China, and more.

News publications and channels: TV5 News PH, Philippine Daily Inquirer, ADN40 Mexico, ARTE 28 France, Nation TV Thailand, Vinhlong TV Vietnam, and more.

Most importantly, the issue was included in a proposal for the next ASEAN summit, just one day after the launch. (Source: “ASEAN elevates coastal, marine environment protection bid”, May 12, 2017, https://www.asean2017.ph/asean-elevates-coastal-marine-environment-protection-bid/)

The campaign played a big role in putting ocean more firmly on the agenda in 2017, triggering other campaigns such as Sky Ocean Plastics. Dead Whale positioned Greenpeace as a leader in the field as part of the #breakfreefromplastics campaign.