Alternativa Terrazul - Almost a Dodo - (2015) case study

Here's a nice case study of some classic hoaxvertising, where a leaked film taken by a supposed woman from Rio, showed a "giant pigeon" that looked a lot like a Dodo. An animal that's been extinct since the seventeenth century. The advertising agency NBS created the idea for NGO Alternativa Terrazul and aims to attract people's attention to a serious matter - the preservation of endangered species.

The agency created a fake profile at Facebook of a young Brazilian, which, during a trip to Costa Rica, would have captured images of a Dodo bird, considered extinct since the seventeenth century. She published the polemic video in her social network’s profile. Within days, the film was shared by thousands of people, have had millions of views and created a great discussion on the topic: was it real or fake? The response was overwhelming, people debated it online and in the evening news, on talk shows, at work in cafés, even in the scientific community.

A reveal was then posted a few days later, this new video confirmed that the video was fake. The film then invited people to invest the same amount of energy they had for discussing the issue into helping species that still have a chance of being saved at the "Almost a Dodo" website (http://www.almostadodo.com), where people can support organizations working to save species in danger of disappearing like the Dodo.

Project Name: Almost a Dodo
Ad Agency: NBS/ Dentsu Aegis Network

Client: Alternativa Terrazul NGO
Creative/Planning VP: André Lima
National Creative Director: Carlos André Eyer
Executive Creative Director: Eduardo Almeida, Carlos André Eyer, André Lima
Creative Team: Eduardo Almeida, Carlos André Eyer, Milena Zindeluk, Bernardo Cople, Dennis Sieber, Vinícius Theodoro, Hagall Muniz
Agency Producer: Andrea Metzker, Luiza Magessi, Mariana Hosannah
Account Managers: Tatiana Soter, Cláudia Horta, Danielle Portela, Marina Gouvêa, Larissa Ximenes
Planners: Paula Lagrotta, Mariana Fleury, Beatriz Moraes, Filipe Bonfim, Lucas Camacho, Gabrielle Ferreira, Joelma Valverde
Media: Fátima Rendeiro, Leonardo Carrilho, Felipe Figueiredo
Project Manager: Teca Vilaça, Giovani Cordioli, Natália Albuquerque
Agency PR: Flavia Nakamura, Carolina Lessa e Máquina de Notícias
Graphic producer: João Eudes
Art Buyer: Andrea Headler
Digital/ web Production: Santa Transmedia e Luego
Film Production Company: Vetor Zero
Director: Nando Cohen
Case film Production Company: W3 Filmes
Music Production Company: Cabaret
Client Manager: Carlos Henrique Painel