USDA: Pigs Don't Fly
USDA: Pigs Don't Fly
USDA:
Pig's Don't Fly
African Swine Fever has never reached the United States — and the USDA needed to keep it that way. We partnered with APHIS to build a nationwide awareness campaign targeting the one group most likely to unknowingly bring it in: international travelers.
We turned a disease no one had heard of into a campaign no one could ignore — 561 million impressions, five languages, and a cartoon pig in every major airport in America.
We turned a disease no one had heard of into a campaign no one could ignore —
561 million impressions, five languages, and a cartoon pig in every major airport in America.
THE CHALLENGE:
Government health messaging has a fundamental problem — it sounds like government health messaging. Technical, institutional, easy to ignore. The audience isn't reading policy briefs — they're rushing through airports. We needed to make people care about something they'd never heard of, in the three seconds between checking their phone and boarding a flight.
Creative Approach:
We developed the memorable tagline “Pigs Don’t Fly”, using a charming cartoon pig navigating an airport to capture attention and communicate biosecurity risks in a friendly, approachable way. The campaign spanned social media, digital display, out-of-home placements in major airports, video, and radio.
Multilingual Strategy:
Recognizing the global audience, we adapted creative assets into Spanish, French, Haitian French, and Mandarin to ensure accessibility and eliminate language barriers.
Results:
By February 2024, the campaign achieved:
270+ million impressions
+1M clicks
4.2 million video views
109,775 landing page visits
THE APPROACH:
We led with humor instead of fear. "Pigs Don't Fly" turned a complex agricultural risk into a simple, memorable idea — a cartoon pig navigating an airport, showing up where real travelers would see it: airport terminals, social feeds, digital displays, video, and radio.
The campaign was designed to be multilingual from the start — not translated after the fact. We built native-language creative in Spanish, French, Haitian Creole, and Mandarin, ensuring the message landed across the full range of international travelers entering the U.S.
Creative Approach:
We developed the memorable tagline “Pigs Don’t Fly”, using a charming cartoon pig navigating an airport to capture attention and communicate biosecurity risks in a friendly, approachable way. The campaign spanned social media, digital display, out-of-home placements in major airports, video, and radio.
Multilingual Strategy:
Recognizing the global audience, we adapted creative assets into Spanish, French, Haitian French, and Mandarin to ensure accessibility and eliminate language barriers.
Results:
By February 2024, the campaign achieved:
270+ million impressions
+1M clicks
4.2 million video views
109,775 landing page visits
The campaign earned a 2023 Platinum Hermes Creative Award and a 2022 Platinum MarCom Award — and continues to grow, expanding into out-of-home airport placements and even children’s coloring books that bring the pig’s journey to life.
THE RESULTS (as of March 2026):
• 561+ million impressions
• 1.9 million clicks
• 110+ million video views
• 783,000+ landing page visits
Creative Approach:
We developed the memorable tagline “Pigs Don’t Fly”, using a charming cartoon pig navigating an airport to capture attention and communicate biosecurity risks in a friendly, approachable way. The campaign spanned social media, digital display, out-of-home placements in major airports, video, and radio.
Multilingual Strategy:
Recognizing the global audience, we adapted creative assets into Spanish, French, Haitian French, and Mandarin to ensure accessibility and eliminate language barriers.
Results:
By February 2024, the campaign achieved:
270+ million impressions
+1M clicks
4.2 million video views
109,775 landing page visits
