We took citizens of Quito through a journey changing them from passive bystanders to environmental activists.

We used film, digital, influencer, guerrilla marketing, events, radio, activations to make them care about the Andean Chocó.

In Ecuador, the government and mining companies have built an almost unbreakable relationship, where business comes first. And together they created legal weapons, even in the Constitution, to protect the mining industry.

With this scenario, it was almost impossible to stop massive mining in the Andean Chocó, a UNESCO natural sanctuary.

Situation:

The Andean Chocó region in Ecuador, a UNESCO natural sanctuary, is located near Quito, the capital of Ecuador. Its home of thousand of species, clean water and 2,868 km2 of rainforest was under threat from massive mining operations facilitated by a close relationship between the government and mining companies. Traditional activism methods have proven ineffective in stopping the exploitation of this environmentally sensitive area.

Brief:

Develop a campaign strategy to halt mining operations in the Andean Chocó region.

Objective:

· Stop new mining concession and preserve the natural biosphere, animal species, plant species, clean water and assure decent and sustainable work within the community.

Use one of the legal weapons (article 104) of the Ecuadorian Constitution as our own weapon and create a boomerang effect to hit back mining companies and government.

Target audience:

Citizens of Quito. People that live in the biggest city of Ecuador and, its majority, never visited and didn't care about the Andean Chocó.

Approach:

Government and mining companies created Article 104 thinking citizens would never use it against them. They thought activating it would be too big of a task because people just wouldn't care. We decided to use it.

Article 104 says:

"Citizens may request the convening of a popular consultation on any matter."

To make people care, through the eyes of the Spectacled Bear we made the citizens of Quito experience the horror they live each time a mining company enters their habitat.

Implementation:

Legal advocacy, grassroots mobilization, strategic communications, and strategic partnerships to maximize our impact and achieve protect the Andean Chocó region from mining exploitation.

First we collected 380,000 signatures to make the referendum official.

We used film, digital, influencer, guerrilla marketing, events, radio, activations to make them care about the Andean Chocó.

Timeline:

From May 2023 to August 2023.

Placement:

· Physical locations such as community centers, town halls, and public spaces, as well as digital platforms including social media, websites, and online platforms.

· Newspapers, radio, and television were utilized as free press to reach a diverse audience and generate media coverage of the campaign.

Scale:

Campaign was targeted to 3.5 million citizens of Quito

Business impact:

N/A

Response rate:

2.1 million people were called to vote

1.7 million voted

68% voted “yes” to protect the Andean Chocó

That means 1.1 million voted “yes”

Change in behavior:

First time in the history of Ecuador a referendum was called by the people. Quito citizens were not aware or active in the defense of the Andean Chocó, but we managed to turned them into activists and let them fight mining companies. We gave power back to people.

Consumer awareness:

The campaign redefined environmental activism forever. Setting an example not only in Ecuador, but the whole world.

Brand perception:

Quito sin Minería is perceived as the leading NGO that turned tables on environmental activism.