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The case of the coke-snorting Chihuahua

Cocaine normally makes the heart race, but in this case the dog was lethargic, with a slower heart rate.

Every dog owner knows that canines are natural scavengers and that vigilance is required to ensure they don't eat toxic substances. But accidental ingestions still happen—like the chihuahua who vets discovered had somehow managed to ingest a significant quantity of cocaine, according to a case study published in the journal Frontiers in Veterinary Science.

There have been several studies investigating the bad effects cocaine can have on the cardiovascular systems of both humans and animals. However, these controlled studies are primarily done in laboratory settings and often don't match the messier clinical realities. "Case reports are crucial in veterinary medicine by providing real-world examples," said co-author Jake Johnson of North Carolina State University. "They capture clinical scenarios that larger studies might miss, preserve unusual presentations for future reference, and help build our collective understanding of rare presentations, ultimately improving emergency preparedness and treatment protocols."

In the case of a male 2-year-old chihuahua, the dog presented as lethargic and unresponsive. His owners had found him with his tongue sticking out and unable to focus visually. The chihuahua was primarily an outdoor dog but was also allowed inside, and all its vaccines were up to date. Examination revealed bradycardia, i.e., a slow heart rate, a blue tinge to the dog's mucus membranes—often a sign of too much unoxygenated hemoglobin circulating through the system—and dilated pupils. The dog's symptoms faded after the vet administered a large dose of atropine, followed by epinephrine.

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Sky’s Piracy=Malware Campaign Aims For ‘Holy Grail’ of Behavioral Change

Since September 2023, a national campaign run by Sky and entertainment partners has attempted to convince illegal stream consumers to dump them in favor of platforms operating on the right side of the law. To encourage that important step, the BeStreamWise campaign focuses on the dangers of piracy; malware, credit card fraud, the risk of ‘letting criminals in’. Through use of a particular model, the campaign hopes to achieve “the Holy Grail of behavioral change.”

From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

bestreamwise-s From its initial launch and relentless coverage in the media for a solid 18 months, there had to be something more to the BeStreamWise anti-piracy campaign than initially met the eye.

Anti-piracy campaigns come and go; BeStreamWise made itself comfortable in people’s living rooms, took over the Sky remote, and even now still refuses to leave.

Those who took refuge online found little respite. BeStreamWise has maintained a constant media presence, especially via the national tabloids, their regional partners, plus online-only publications known for their social media reach.

Interestingly, zero coverage by the BBC. Not a word. Even more unusual given that the campaign’s partners include the BBC itself and the UK government, via the Intellectual Property Office, which prominently mentions the campaign on its website….absolutely nowhere?

BeStreamWise Partners [credit:bestreamwise.com] bestreamwise-members-cmp

Today we present a sample of what we have learned about the campaign and those involved since September 2023. A slightly different format than usual with plenty of images, in keeping with the campaign itself.

Creating the BeStreamWise Brand

“Sky partnered With marketing agency Weber Shandwick to create the BeStreamWise brand, educating consumers about the risks from illegal streaming websites. The Sky Anti-Piracy team needed a website to tie into a UK-wide TV, online and out-of-home advertising campaign.”

Photographer Henrik Knudsen worked with Weber Shandwick and Nice Shirt Films to create the assets for the out-of-home and digital campaign.

credits: webershandwick.com / henrikknudsen.com best1-compress

Special effects were created by BOOM CGI and the BeStreamWise campaign website, hosted on the Sky Websites platform, is powered by ContentStack which can provide useful insight on user interactions.

credits:BOOM CGI / ContentStack best2-compressd

BeStreamWise Video Campaign

The BeStreamWise YouTube channel contains only three videos. The launch video (center) received relatively few views, just 2,600 in total. The 30-second campaign video (left) has performed well with 863,000.

That’s nothing when compared to the 15-second variant that is targeted, at least in part, at viewers known to have searched for infringing content.

credit:youtube.com

A total of 7.6 million views so far and still counting shows the reach of the campaign. How many pirates viewed the video more than once isn’t clear but on a strict one-to-one basis, that figure is getting close to every pirate in the country.

The big question is this: they may have seen the campaign but did they listen closely enough to absorb the message? For that matter, what exactly is the message?

Holy Grail of Campaigning – Modify People’s Behavior (COM B Model)

Several months ago, a Sky employee updated colleagues on a successful campaign; an anti-piracy campaign with relevance as a cybersecurity awareness drive. The campaign was described as follows:

The campaign is a fresh take on anti-piracy messaging and likens illegal streaming to leaving your digital front door open. The tag line, ‘Illegal Streams Let Criminals In’, acts to remind consumers of the risks involved in illegal streaming from malware and viruses to fraud, theft or even identity theft. While also directing consumers to safe and official streaming pathways

The model chosen to underpin the entire campaign is especially interesting;

The COM B (Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, Behavior) model is a behavior change framework that suggests successful behavioral modification requires the following elements (descriptions tailored to the campaign, our analysis, not Sky’s)

1. Capability:
– Psychological and general ability to perform the desired behavior
– Understanding that illegal streaming carries risks
– Understanding potential cybersecurity threats

2. Opportunity:
– Social and physical environment that enables the desired behavior
– Availability of accessible legal streaming alternatives
– Highlighting easy ways to access legitimate content

3. Motivation:
– Brain processes that energize and direct behavior
– Emotional and reflective motivation towards risk avoidance (cybersecurity threats)
– Fear around potential consequences of illegal streaming (malware etc)

4. ̶P̶R̶O̶F̶I̶T̶ Successful behavioral modification

How Did the Campaign Perform?

After waiting three months in the hope that Sky would release the results to the public, we came to the conclusion that in all likelihood, the results of the campaign are probably destined for private consumption. We have no fine details but from the information available, certain targets were met and the campaign appears to have been viewed as a success.

Terms used to sum up:

• Earned media publicity through promotional efforts, not paid advertising
• OOH (Out-of-Home) Advertising: Billboards, street furniture, public transport etc
• Earned activations: Marketing initiatives that generate organic engagement
• Enforcement communications: See below

Whether a campaign is considered a success when measured against increased sales of legal products is never discussed in public; there’s no reason to believe BeStreamWise will be any different. Regardless of the outcome, nobody can accuse Sky of not putting in the effort and the targeting appears to have been pretty much flawless.

Finally, a short comment on ‘Enforcement communications’, which appear to be linked, in whole or in part, to hundreds of mostly sensationalized, misleading, or otherwise disappointing stories in the media, concerning illegal streaming, arrests, prison sentences etc.

Some may believe the end justifies the means, but filling the public consciousness with anything other than a best effort representation of the facts, simply kicks the piracy problem down the road for another day.

People should be concerned about malware, credit card fraud, and identity theft, so that’s a valuable message to have sent. But take that away, people still aren’t scared about piracy.

From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.