‘Don’t Fear the Fin. Fear a World Without Them.’
(Press Release) DAYTONA BEACH, FL – On World Oceans Day (June 8), Costa announced the launch of its new cause marketing campaign, “Don’t Fear the Fin. Fear a World Without Them,” to increase consumer awareness of shark conservation and their important role in our ocean’s ecosystem.
Costa developed this multi-tiered campaign in partnership with ten-year partner OCEARCH, a group of explorers and scientists who are dedicated to generating previously unattainable data on the movement, biology and health of sharks.
The campaign highlights the stories of three shark-attack survivors turned conservation advocates for the oceans’ apex predators and balance keepers. The “Don’t Fear the Fin. Fear a World Without Them” ambassadors include Mike Coots, Lisa Mondy and Paul de Gelder.
“We are thrilled to partner with these remarkable individuals who, despite being attacked by sharks, are now fighting for sharks and their survival to help protect our oceans,” said Todd Barker, coastal community manager, Costa. “We want more people to understand that the scariest thing about sharks is that they are disappearing due to activities like illegal fishing and shark finning. Being ‘Born on the Water,’ we at Costa understand this isn’t cause that just one person or company can Shark-attack survivors turned conservation advocates for sharks and Costa /OCEARCH campaignambassadors: Lisa Mondy, Mike Coots, Paul de Gelder get behind in order for it to succeed. This is why our vision for this campaign is to inspire more people to join the cause and help preserve the sharks who keep our oceans in balance.”
Further expanding the conversation around shark conservation and OCEARCH, consumers will hear and see campaign messages from Costa in the following ways:
- A digital experience found on Costa’s website features a film of the three shark-attack survivors and provides education on sharks and OCEARCH.
- Content posted on Costa’s social media accounts will be directing followers to learn more and join the cause.
- Through a sweepstakes at WinaShark.com, consumers can enter to win a chance to tag and name a shark aboard the M/V OCEARCH research vessel and help Costa and OCEARCH with their mission to protect what’s out there.
- A road crew will be conquering the East Coast conservation events held at retail locations and on the OCEARCH ship.
- New merchandising executions will be on display at select Costa accounts and dealers, and digital assets are available for Costa retail partners to use.
- Chris Fischer, the founder of OCEARCH, will also participate in media interviews talking about the cause and campaign around Shark Week 2017.
To help spread the word about shark awareness and the campaign, eyecare professionals can share Costa’s social media content and use the hashtag #DontFeartheFin.
This year, in addition to the cause marketing campaign, Costa linked the sale of its Limited Edition sunglasses to benefit shark conservation with a portion of its new OCEARCH Limited Edition collection’s proceeds being donated to the OCEARCH Foundation.
Mimicking the colors and textures of the habitats and biology of sharks, the OCEARCH Limited Edition sunglasses feature three new styles, the Half Moon, Remora and Rincon, as well as three new colors replicating the rich colors of sharks, including Sea Glass, Smoke Crystal and Tiger Shark (a unique take on the classic Tortoise style). All sunglasses are available in plano and Rx. The collection also features 15 SKUs, a new lens development combining Costas 580P grey base lens with a silver mirror and eight best-selling Costa styles with a new look that mirrors the hues and patterns found on sharks.
The Costa OCEARCH Limited Edition collection styles range in retail from $149 to $249. The styles are available at www.costadelmar.com and at authorized participating Costa retail partners.