BOS Australia: International Orangutan Day Campaigns

Summary

Project: International Orangutan Day Campaigns.
Objective: Drive awareness, media visibility, and public action through purpose-led pledges on palm oil and wildlife trade.
Services: Spokesperson media training, public relations.
Impact: 90+ media stories per pledge, 15M+ reach across Australia and New Zealand, and record online pledge sign-ups.

The Challenge

Turning Awareness into Action for a Critically Endangered Species.

Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) Australia is the world’s largest great ape conservation program, dedicated to protecting critically endangered Bornean orangutans. With only an estimated 58,000 remaining in the wild, these great apes face escalating threats from deforestation, habitat loss, illegal hunting, and the wildlife trade.

For International Orangutan Day, BOS Australia launched two global awareness initiatives — the Palm Oil Pledge and the Wildlife Trade Pledge — each designed to drive tangible public action across Australia and New Zealand.
KLPR was engaged to deliver a high-impact PR strategy that would position BOS Australia as a leading conservation voice, secure widespread media attention, and inspire individuals to take meaningful action.

We rolled out two purpose-led media campaigns built to ignite conversation, encourage behaviour change, and amplify the urgency of orangutan conservation. Each campaign positioned the pledges as simple, everyday actions Australians and New Zealanders could take to combat unsustainable palm oil use and illegal wildlife trade — two of the most pressing threats facing orangutans today.

By combining emotional storytelling, strong media partnerships, and actionable calls to action, KLPR helped BOS Australia transform a key awareness day into a powerful global movement for change.

The Outcome

Record Media Reach and Measurable Public Engagement.

The campaigns achieved:

  • 90+ media stories across broadcast, print, digital, and social.
  • 15+ million audience reach across Australia and New Zealand.
  • Feature story on Channel 10’s The Project, syndicated nationally.
  • Interview on TVNZ Breakfast, extending reach across the Tasman.
  • Significant uplift in website traffic and pledge sign-ups following coverage.

Through powerful storytelling and strategic media engagement, KLPR positioned BOS Australia as a leading conservation voice, demonstrating how purpose-led PR can convert awareness into real-world action for wildlife and the planet.