• by Larissa Faw , November 12, 2015

Earlier this summer, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) released a video detailing an undercover investigation that found a key egg supplier to Costco was mistreating chickens. 

Despite this controversy, Costco continues to work with the supplier and use caged eggs. 

Now, HSUS is ramping up its pressure to reverse this decision with a new initiative developed by its agency Rokkan. Under the effort, Rokkan and HSUS are launching a new Web site -- CagedForCostco.com -- that "exposes the warehouse/supermarket giant for allowing its egg suppliers to confine chickens in tiny cages," the agency states.   

The campaign centers around a Rokkan-produced hidden camera-style video, titled “Room to Live,” in which a “realtor” shows people New York City’s “most disgusting apartment” to draw an analogy to the unlivable quarters that the hens laying eggs for Costco’s shelves endure.  

"The concept was born from the old adage about understanding someone's experience by walking a mile in their shoes," says Jeff Samson, creative director, Rokkan. "It's often the only way to truly grasp a situation. Crafting this apartment allowed us to place people in a context that rang true to the plight of chickens in battery cages, and to open their eyes to the deplorable practices of Costco's egg suppliers in a novel and compelling way."

This video is available on the site, as well as on HSUS social media channels including HSUS's Facebook and Twitter channels. People are also encouraged to support the campaign using the hashtag #CagedForCostco.  

Already the effort is generating conversation about the issue, says Samson. In the first 24 hours of launching, hundreds of thousands of people viewed the video, and thousands called Costco to make their outrage known, he says. "People simply want better for those hens than cages." 

Still, he says that the agency doesn't necessarily measure the initiative's success with Costco ending its usage of caged chickens. "Speaking for Rokkan, we think any time you raise awareness, it's a success. If this campaign educates people about the harsh realities of caged hens and inspires people to buy their eggs responsibly, Rokkan views it as a success." 

The real challenge was turning something most people don't personally experience into something relatable, says Samson. "Chickens are more removed from our everyday lives than, say, dogs or cats. To inspire people to get involved, we really had to make this campaign hit home."

Rokkan starting representing HSUS this spring. Their previous collaboration was designed to raise awareness about puppy mills.