Truth, trust, transparency: The case of WWF's 'Ivory Lane'

TRUTH, trust, and transparency. These are ideal values in governance and communications, but are increasingly harder to achieve in an age where rapid-response content is king. Although social media has the power to support the search for truth and transparency, it can also quickly destroy it and bring trust down with it. The recent case of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)'s "Ivory Lane" stunt reveals the challenges in maintaining the delicate balance amongst the "3Ts".

TELLING THE "TRUTH"

"Ivory Lane" was a fake online shop set up by WWF Singapore in a bid to tell the truth about illegal wildlife trafficking. Using the case of the global ivory trade, WWF set up Ivory Lane's website and social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram. With its sleek branding, the online shop's campaign described owning a piece of ivory as owning a piece of nature's luxury. The shop justified its sale of ivory as using "vintage" ivory - sourced from ivory that was hunted from elephants before the 1990 International ban.