Interactive ad: Heard Island Pebbles: Turning tariffs into opportunity for penguin conservation

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Top 6: May 7th 2025

On April 2, 2025, Trump slapped a 10% tariff on Heard Island - a remote outcrop with no exports, no humans. Just penguins. As the bizarre news went viral, Kindred Studio - a small e-commerce branding agency - had an idea: what if the penguins started 'exporting' something to raise money to protect their home? Enter Heard Island Pebbles - the island’s first-ever “export.” Inspired by the pebbles penguins use to nest and flirt, the cheeky website sold digital and physical pebbles to humans worldwide, with all profits donated to the unaffiliated WWF-Australia to support local conservation. With zero media spend, Heard Island Pebbles made global headlines, reached over 13 million people, attracted 10,000+ website visits, shipped to 14 countries, and raised over $14,000.