Banned From TV, This Conservation Ad Has Become a Viral Sensation With 35 Million Views

U.K. celebs and news outlets amplified its reach dramatically

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When Greenpeace and agency Mother found a supermarket chain willing to help boost their animated message about orangutan conservation by turning it into a branded broadcast ad, it seemed like a storybook ending for a project with a lot of emotional investment.

But then U.K. advertising regulators, playing the Grinch role, declined to let the spot air after being submitted by supermarket brand Iceland Foods. At issue is what the regulatory body felt was a political message, likely because of the ad’s origin as a Greenpeace video against deforestation by the palm oil industry.

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