Poaching rhinos to sell their horns is one of the most pressing threats to wildlife and
constitutes an illicit yet extremely profitable business. Employing construal level and
reactance theory, two studies examine which marketing campaign is most effective
in countries where the crime is actually taking place by distinguishing supply
(=poachers in Kenya) and demand (=consumers of Chinese traditional medicine in
China). Both studies follow a 2 × 2 between‐subject design with an additional control
group whereby temporal distance and social distance are manipulated to outline
weaknesses of current antipoaching campaigns and identify alternatives that are
more effective. Results suggest that economic and identity‐related factors can explain
consumers (China) and poachers (Kenya) intentions to purchase traditional
Chinese medicine with rhino horn or sell rhino horn. In both countries, marketing
campaigns featuring temporal distance were superior to close counterparts; yet, the
mediating variables differ for each country. Close temporal distance elicits reactance.
Interestingly, poachers do not seem to discriminate between close and far
social distance. The findings have lifesaving implications for wildlife, profound
practical implications for non‐governmental organizations, and governmental
agencies' additional theoretical contributions.