WWF: Making Wild Meat a Public Health Conversation in Laos

Urban consumption of wild meat in Laos threatens the sustainability of wildlife populations, fuels transboundary and domestic illegal wildlife trade and increases the risk of zoonotic disease passing from animals to people. Most consumers who buy wild meat have little awareness of the risks it poses to their own well-being and to public health.

WWF wanted to test whether a creative communication campaign could shift attitudes, and needed a concept that would make a familiar habit feel newly risky without lecturing.

Ruder Finn Era's strategic choice was to reframe wild meat from a conservation issue, which urban consumers rarely feel personally, into a health issue that touches them directly. The aim was to elevate the cause in the public eye and get people talking and thinking about stopping.

The team created a set of striking, eye-catching visuals carrying one clear message: wild meat consumption is not without risks, because it can carry zoonotic diseases and harm health. The creative was designed as a pilot that WWF could use to monitor behaviour change before scaling.