Current Event 10/29 - Shark Fin Soup

In China, a new advertising campaign has had incredible success in its efforts to remove shark fin soup from people's diets. Yao Ming, former NBA basketball player, and native of China, has been active in making Chinese people realize the harm associated with shark fin soup. He is a very well respected figure in China and has managed to reach out to most of country. According to a research survey conducted by iResearch, 82 percent of respondents said they would remove shark fin soup from their diets. One of the main ideas behind Yao's awareness campaigns is the slogan "when the buying stops, the killing can too." I like the idea behind this tactic because it directly is talking to consumers rather than try to get the issue regulated through government action. Since the ads featuring Ming were first aired on television, prices for shark fin has fallen by 57 percent in one of China's biggest fishing hubs. One of the particularly shocking things about this whole issue is that a 2006 survey found that 75 percent of Chinese people didn't know that shark fin soup, which directly translates to "fish-wing soup", even came from sharks. I think with more education on the topic, the Chinese population could have made an informed decision about the ecological impacts of the meal and whether or not to include it in their diets. This story really goes to show that people are willing to make a change in their lifestyle if they can directly connect themselves with an environmental issue, it also helps if you have an international superstar on your advertising team, but you get the point.