Whether you’re for fur or against it, the IFF’s new campaign proves the industry is still worth billions. Jessica McGreal reports
The International Fur Federation (IFF) has launched a new global ad campaign to highlight the economic value of fur to businesses and politicians. Worth more than $40 billion worldwide (a similar size to the global Wi-Fi industry), whatever your ethical stance, it’s difficult to argue that fur doesn’t add value to the economy.
As a result this campaign does not focus on the use of fur in the fashion industry, but on the significance of fur as a leading contributor to economies and employment in countries, such as Russia, China and Denmark.
Mark Oaten, CEO of IFF, explains: “Our industry has a tougher time than most winning hearts and minds. We constantly battle the misleading information that our opponents disseminate about the fur trade. With this campaign we wanted to move beyond the emotive issues and target a business audience with some surprising statistics concerning the size and global worth of the fur trade.”
The economic value of fur
Devised and carried out by the trade association’s inhouse team, the activity centres on third-party research by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Italy. The research revealed the updated values of various global and local aspects of the fur industry. It highlighted global fur retail sales are now estimated at $35.8 billion, farming $7.8 billion and over one million people are employed in the sector.
The findings were showcased for the first time via a print campaign in The Economist. A full-page advert has appeared in every international edition of the magazine. IFF chose this publication as it felt it was one of the only global business titles that speaks directly to its intended target audience with the gravity and tone that will add weight to the advertisement.
Print was used as one of the best mediums to ensure the organisation’s message was read and retained by the target audience of business influencers. Meanwhile, the stark black ads rely on the power of short-form copy to convey the surprising economic facts in a way that cannot be ignored.
Petition
The campaign is a bold move for an industry facing criticism, and it is no surprise the activity has been met with backlash from Peta and a growing online petition. The 1236 strong petition* is calling for a boycott of The Economist for allowing pro-fur advertisements in its pages alongside a letter to its editor, John Micklethwait.
The letter reads: ‘If a newspaper with a reputation such as yours is willing to sell its space to traders in cruelty and death, the IFF’s campaign to glorify the fur trade will only increase in popularity. I ask that you remove these ads from your newspaper, and never let a company which profits from the suffering and deaths of innocent animals advertise in it again.’
IFF’s CEO stresses: “We understand that it is an industry that rouses passions but this needs to be balanced with the message that this is a responsible, global industry.”
Publicity
Despite mixed feelings surrounding the fur industry this stark ad campaign has triggered a string of renewed interest in fur. Dazed and Confused has run an online poll asking individuals whether they think it is right to use fur in fashion, with the votes currently balanced.* Furthermore, The Daily Telegraph and Radio 4 You and Yours have reported on the research.
Following this B2B campaign, IFF is planning on launching online and offline pan-European B2C activity that will focus on the fashion appeal of fur. This project aims to break down stereotypes of who wears it while raising awareness of the technological innovations in the sector.
*At the time of publication.
