UNICEF talks to half a nation by using an experience

UNICEF talks to half a nation by using an experience
UNICEF - Joss Davidge

Joss Davidge, Business Director of brand experience agency BEcause, continues his weekly quest for innovative marketing ideas.

This week he looks at a brilliant way that UNICEF spoke to millions in Paraguay.

Using experiential tactics to communicate important social messages can be a great way to leave a lasting impression. Not only with the people who experience the campaign first hand, but the reach is often also extended with a flood of positive media after the event.
 
This week I’ve come across a great example campaign from UNICEF in Paraguay that communicated a clear message to over half the population.

About 24% of children in the country are not enrolled in civil registration. They have no official identity; they do not legally exist and are excluded from basic services such as health and education. UNICEF has been working for several years to turn this trend around.
 
The latest push from UNICEF involved Paraguay’s favourite sport: football. Football has the highest ratings on both television and radio – so in a bid to get the message to as many people as possible UNICEF devised a campaign that disrupted the viewer experience and acted as a call-to-action.
 
During the opening minutes an important match between Paraguay and Uruguay the commentators talked about nameless players and teams. The star players were reduced to only numbers such as 7 or 3, causing viewers and listeners to engage with the commentary in a completely new way. The campaign was then revealed with a banner stating: 'Like these players, we all need a name and nationality…1 in 4 children (in Paraguay) are not enrolled in civil registration.' And it then displayed a call-to-action, encouraging viewers to question their local presidential candidate about what they were going to do about it.
 
The campaign cost UNICEF around $5,000 and reaped around $100,000 of free publicity and earned media. But the real result was that each of the presidential candidates agreed to put forward policies that would work to get more children legally registered.
 
In March I spotted another great campaign that targeted football supporters with an important charity message. The invisible children campaign made a cause stand out by involving fans in an experience.

Read more from Joss Davidge in our Clubhouse.

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