#ogilvychange helps orangutans get in the swing of things

When people have flown halfway around the world to visit orangutans in their natural habitat they want to do more than just admire them from a distance; many people want to cuddle them and have photos taken of themselves holding a baby orangutan to share with their friends on social media.

What tourists don’t realise, or choose to disregard, is the fact that as the Sumatran Orangutan Society puts it, ‘a cuddle can kill’. Because orangutans share 96.4% of our DNA they are vulnerable to our illnesses without sharing our immunity.

In the Gunung Leuser National Park, where most human-orangutan interactions take place in Sumatra, there is a 55% infant mortality rate, which is five times higher than other wild orangutan populations.

The #ogilvychange team was inspired to find a solution to this behavioural challenge through their partnership with Pimp My Cause. They set about applying their behavioural insights to help the Sumatran Orangutan Society harness ecotourism as a protective rather than destructive force.
 
Helen Buckland, director of the charity, said 'Many people who visit Sumatra to see orangutans in the wild expect close encounters and physical contact with the animals they have traveled so far to see. Large groups of people can be seen crowding around a single animal, and guides often allow and encourage physical contact with the orangutans.'

The future of the orangutan is uncertain; they are the first great ape in danger of extinction. For tourism to play a part in reversing this dangerous trend the #ogilvychange team suggested the first step is to change tourists’ expectations before they reach Sumatra. They suggested a participatory campaign under the banner 'Don’t be an idiot abroad', which offers people advice and guidance so they understand the local customs of Indonesia and the importance of protecting orangutans before they visit.

They developed a suite of concepts that included approaching travelers through Twitter, Google and Foursquare, sharing a video presentation on the plane ride to Indonesia and giving them more information once they arrive in Sumatra, as well as reinforcing the same guidelines at their arrival to Gunung Leuser National Park.

The 'Don’t be an idiot abroad' campaign has great potential for celebrity engagement as well and coincidentally Ricky Gervais, co-creator of An Idiot Abroad, is already a fan and active supporter of the Sumatran Orangutan Society.
 
#ogilvychange identified many other ways for the Sumatran Orangutan Society to change behaviour, including how to adapt their signs at the National Park to have the biggest impact on tourist behaviour, as well as working with their tour guides to change the culture around allowing orangutan-human interactions.

Through another initiative, the Sumatran Orangutan Society will be participating in a month-long open air photography exhibition entitled Spotlight Sumatra, to celebrate the biodiversity of this little-known island, the only place in the world where orangutans, tigers, elephants and rhinos all roam under the same forest canopy. The exhibition will be in May of this year at London’s South Bank and will raise awareness of the threats facing Sumatra's rainforests and wildlife, and draw attention to the conservation projects working on the frontline to protect them.

If you would like to help the Sumatran Orangutan Society further capitalize on the advice given to them by #ogilvychange or if you would like to help them make the most of their Spotlight Sumatra exhibition, please get in touch with Anna Mullenneaux, chief match maker at Pimp My Cause to offer your marketing or social media marketing expertise to support their great cause.