Amnesty International: The Refugee Nation [presentation image] [alternative version]

Credits & Description:

Title: The Refugee Nation
Agency: Ogilvy New York
Brand: Amnesty International
Subbrand/Product: The Refugee Nation
Country: USA
Entrant Company: Ogilvy New York
Advertising Agency: Ogilvy New York
Production Company: Canja Audio Culture, Curitiba / Square Pixel, Rio De Janeiro / Asteroide Filmes, Curitiba
Chief Creative Officer: Alfonso Marian (Ogilvy New York)
Chief Creative Officer: Corinna Falusi (Ogilvy New York)
Executive Creative Director: Jon Wagner (Ogilvy New York)
Creative Director: Artur Lipori (Ogilvy New York)
Creative Director: Caro Rebello (Ogilvy New York)
Creative Director: Rodrigo Moran (Ogilvy New York)
Creative Director: Ricard Valero (Ogilvy New York)
Creative Director: Bastien Baumann (Ogilvy New York)
Design Director: Justin Au (Ogilvy New York)
Design Director: Lucas Camargo (Ogilvy New York)
Associate Creative Director: Gil Kuruneri (Ogilvy New York)
Art Director: Arthur Amiune (Ogilvy New York)
Art Director: Belén Márquez (Ogilvy New York)
Art Director: Eduardo Lunardi (Ogilvy New York)
Art Director: Renato Tagliari (Ogilvy New York)
Copywriter: Imen Soltani (Ogilvy New York)
Senior Executive Producer/Director: Akiko Nakashima (Ogilvy New York)
Director Of Project Management: Mae Floredeliza (Ogilvy New York)
Post Production: Guilherme Guiness (Asteriode)
Post Production: Lucas Negrão (Asteriode)
Post Production: Tiago Gavassi (Asteriode)
Cinematographer: Ramsès Rezende (Asteriode)
Camera Assistant: Wilson Roberto (Asteriode)
Director: Guilherme Pau Y Biglia (Asteriode)
Editor: Giuliano Biondi Batista (Asteriode)
Editor: Leornardo Scholz (Asteriode)
Producer: Mariana Van Bylt (Asteriode)
Music & Sound: Eduardo Karas (Canja Audio Culture)
Executive Sound Producer: Filipe Resende (Canja Audio Culture)
Executive Sound Producer: Lucas Sfair (Canja Audio Culture)
Cinematographer: Aramis Barros (Square Pixel)
Director: Marcelo Vidal (Square Pixel)
Director: Nayana Gouvêa (Square Pixel)
Director: Raphael Dias (Square Pixel)
Editor: Hugo Freitas (Square Pixel)
Producer: Daniel Lins (Square Pixel)
Producer: Gabriel Nogueira (Square Pixel)
Designer: Yara Said (Freelance)
Composer: Moutaz Arian (Freelance)
Photographer: Francisco De Deus (Francisco De Deus)
Account Executive: Ana Paula Gancho (Pimenta Print)
Account Executive: Paulo Eduardo Gancho (Pimenta Print)
Campaign Description:
For the first time ever, a refugee team was going to compete in the Olympics. There were 10 athletes with no national team, no flag, no anthem to call their own—until we gave them one.We partnered with refugees across the globe to create a flag and an anthem to represent the athletes. The Refugee Nation flag was designed by Yara Said, a Syrian refugee artist who was inspired by the colors of the life vests. According to Yara: “Orange and black is a symbol of solidarity for all the brave souls who crossed the sea, looking for the safety of a new country.”The artist herself wore a life vest when escaping war. Her design gave an identity to those who would be otherwise invisible, and turned a team of ten into a team of millions, all in support of the 65 million displaced people worldwide.
Outcome:
In just a few months after its release, The Refugee Nation earned over 2 billion media impressions. The flag is more than a hand-sewn piece of fabric, it’s a powerful symbol for these forgotten people. It awareness, sparks positive conversations, and challenges the prejudices refugees face across the globe. It was embraced by refugee athletes and refugee communities (including camps and shelters in Lesbos, Kakuma, Tempelhof); recognized by The One Young World 2016, under the eyes of world leaders such as Kofi Annan, Justin Trudeau and Muhammad Yunus; embraced by celebrities, including rap singer M.I.A, Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, and Emmy award-winning actor Jeffrey Tambor.During the Oscars, some members of the academy award-winner documentary “The Salesman” were wearing the refugee flag pin. On the same night, Franklin Leonard, founder of the Blacklist, wore the pin during the Oscars commentary live on BBC. The Refugee Nation team was also invited to present the flag to the Second Lady of the United States, Jill Biden (2016) and to the pro-refugee advocate and actor Ben Stiller, during an official event of the US Department of State.The flag was exhibited at MoMA, and is in the permanent collection of the V&A Museum in London. Stickers featuring the flag turned stores and restaurants into refugee-welcoming businesses. In partnership with the social initiative Makers Unite, refugees are manufacturing flags out of real life vests from the Greek shore. In doing so, the flag is creating the first job opportunity to refugees arriving in Europe.
Relevancy:
In just a few months after its release, The Refugee Nation earned more than 2 billion media impressions. The flag is more than a hand-sewn piece of fabric, it’s a powerful symbol for these forgotten people. By giving an identity to those who would be otherwise invisible, it creates awareness, sparks positive conversations, and challenges the prejudices refugees face across the globe.
Synopsis:
For refugees, 2016 was one of the toughest years on record. Not since WW II have we seen so many people forced to flee their own countries. At yet, the indifference towards and the prejudice against refugees continued to grow. At this crucial moment, Amnesty International came to us with a huge challenge: bring awareness to the refugee cause, ignite a positive conversation, and engage the world to support refugees.
Execution:
The Olympic Games is a meticulously orchestrated event that takes years of planning. So in order to bring a “symbolic nation” to the games, we had to break with their protocols. We presented the refugee athletes with the national symbols they lacked: their own flag, their own anthem, their own identity. The refugees were then featured in a series of online films.With no media budget, the idea grew organically through major media. It was listed as “The World’s Most Notable Work” by Wired and “The Most Headline-Making Design of 2016” by Dezeen.Thousands of flags were seen in Rio and around the world. And while the Olympics are long over, the flag continues to make headlines. It’s been recognized by world leaders and NGO’s; it has been in Global Summits and at the Oscars; it’s been exhibited at MoMA and is in the permanent collection at the V&A London.
Strategy:
Our goal was to unite the world in support of refugees. But with a media budget of zero, our only chance to do so was to have an idea so powerful that it would make headlines organically. We set our sights on the global stage of the 2016 Olympic Games, where national pride is at its peak. Here, we raised the flag of the Refugee Nation and got the attention of every major media channel. It was an instant hit. Our project was embraced by refugees around the world, and by supporters of our cause. Together, we gave an identity to those who would otherwise be invisible.