Saving the 'Tuxedo Torpedoes'

The African Penguin, affectionately named the ‘Tuxedo Torpedo,’ is on the brink of extinction. Once numbering in the millions, its population has plummeted by 97% due to overfishing, habitat loss, and climate change. By 2035, this iconic species could disappear from the wild unless immediate action is taken.

Blue Marine Foundation, a UK charity dedicated to ocean conservation, partnered with The Prophets to break through conservation fatigue and make the world not just understand, but feel the urgency of this crisis. While Blue Marine Foundation and its partners provided scientific expertise and policy pressure, The Prophets transformed hard statistics into an emotional call to arms, creating a campaign that turned this conservation crisis into a movement. At its heart, this was a storytelling campaign humanising the penguins to drive public and policy action. We crafted a campaign that made the African Penguin impossible to ignore, building on powerful insights: penguins are monogamous, highly social, and integral to South Africa’s national identity. By leveraging their lifelong bonds, we reframed conservation into an emotionally charged issue, from Valentine’s Day activations (‘Penguin Love in Peril’) to urgent messaging about their fate. Through multichannel outreach, a large-scale press event, expert influencer partnerships, and a high-profile petition, we mobilised over 30,000 petition signatories ahead of a crucial court case in March 2025. Media coverage exceeded expectations, with 304 pieces of earned coverage reaching nearly 2 billion people. More importantly, national sentiment shifted, with a 25% increase in awareness about the penguins’ plight.