THE TROJAN FAX

Environmental organisations regularly send reports, emails and policy recommendations to local governments, but many are ignored or lost in bureaucracy before reaching decision-makers. The IUCN French Committee needed a way to get endangered biodiversity issues directly in front of mayors and make the threat feel immediate and impossible to overlook. The Trojan Fax "retro-hacked" city halls by using one of the last communication channels that still lands physically on a mayor's desk: the fax machine. Instead of sending traditional policy documents, the campaign delivered striking visual messages featuring endangered local species and disappearing habitats, transforming an outdated office tool into a powerful environmental awareness medium. Working with Fujifilm Print, BETC identified municipalities across France and sent official-looking faxes directly to city halls. As the documents printed in real time, mayors were confronted with impactful imagery and urgent conservation messages. By using a forgotten technology in an unexpected way, the campaign bypassed digital clutter, administrative filters and email fatigue, ensuring the message reached decision-makers physically and immediately. The campaign generated significant attention within both environmental and creative industries, proving the continued effectiveness of print in a digital world. It successfully elevated biodiversity issues among local government leaders while earning major international recognition, including a Cannes Lions Gold Lion in Print & Publishing and a Silver Lion in Creative B2B, turning an obsolete communication channel into a highly effective advocacy tool. AWARDS Cannes Lions 2-26 - 1 Gold en Print & Publishing - 1 Silver en Creative B2B https://www.llllitl.fr/2026/06/cannes-lions-2026-palmares-france/ CREDITS Client: IUCN (The International Union for Conservation of Nature) French Committee x Fujifilm Print. Agency: BETC Paris. Production: LA-BO Paris, Prose on Pixels Paris.