AMCS – GBR Coral Clearance Sale

To raise the profile of the commercial coral fishery trade and capture the attention of the Federal Environment Minister, we staged the "GBR Coral Clearance Sale" activation in Sydney's CBD. Featuring life size corals, navigating the urban environment, the event highlighted the plight of the reef through a disruptive public spectacle. Timed alongside Great Barrier Reef funding announcements, the activation generated a long tail of media coverage that sustained the issue in the public consciousness for seven days, ultimately succeeding in the primary objective to put public pressure on Minister Murray Watt and the government to escalate Reef protection and reform policy around harvesting.

The event's reach extended significantly across national and international press, with features on SBS, Sky, and an extensive story in The Sydney Morning Herald that syndicated across Nine’s sister publications. Images of the coral characters were also published globally in countries including Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, Taiwan, and South Africa. Back home, the stunt prompted direct questioning of the Environment Minister at a press conference and sparked in-depth interviews with coral harvesters and campaign managers across major NewsCorp and ABC platforms.

Digitally, the message resonated strongly, with social media engagement peaking through a post featuring AMCS ambassador Kirsty Webeck that garnered over 95,000 views.

The custom costumes were also handed over to the AMCS for future activations across Queensland and beyond.

Close-up coral photography: © Ciemon Caballes

AMCS GBR Coral Clearance Sale

AMCS
GBR Coral Clearance Sale