Roll With The Pangolins - United for Wildlife | Clapboard Ad Archive
United for Wildlife’s Roll With The Pangolins campaign in the United Kingdom, launched in Year 2014, confidently reimagined the digital playbook for public interest marketing by enlisting two of the world’s most recognizable assets: the global mobile gaming phenomenon Angry Birds and the high-profile advocacy of The Duke of Cambridge. Designed to spotlight the devastating illegal wildlife trade threatening not only elephants and rhinos but the lesser-known and highly endangered pangolin, the campaign invited millions of digital natives directly into the fight via a specialized Angry Birds Friends tournament, running from November 17 to 23. Integrating celebrity credibility with the playful familiarity of ongoing entertainment IP, the work sits squarely in what Clapboard’s taxonomy deems FORMAT#8—Ongoing Characters or Celebrities, leveraging the pop-cultural reach of the Angry Birds cast and the royal endorsement to anchor message recall and motivate participation. United for Wildlife and its agency expertly transformed entertainment interaction into genuine engagement, driving sustained traffic to advocacy landing pages while harnessing the tournament’s competitive spirit to prompt social media amplification under the hashtag #WhoseSideAreYouOn. The campaign capitalized on a cross-disciplinary media ecosystem: in-game event mechanics, campaign-aligned landing environments, and socially networked calls to action converged to convert player attention into environmental advocacy, all underpinned by a sharp communications insight—that connecting a cause to beloved characters and visible public figures can break through charity fatigue and bring urgent issues to the top of digital conversations. The Duke of Cambridge’s involvement elevated gravitas and press visibility, while Angry Birds’ infectious character design and global fanbase ensured the message reached far beyond conservation’s usual circles, energizing a young and highly connected demographic with tools to own and share the movement. With viewership surpassing 200,000, the campaign not only captured meaningful engagement but redefined industry expectations of how branded entertainment and celebrity partnership can combine in service of public interest. Clapboard rates this 74/100. The campaign demonstrates that, in a crowded digital landscape, aligning ongoing character franchises with influential advocates in interactive formats can transform passive awareness into participatory action for causes outside traditional fundraising channels.
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