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Anti-Slavery

MTV Foundation

Issue 8 | September 2008

Agency

JWT London

Creative Team

Jonathan Budds – Copywriter;Anita Davis - Art Director

Production Team

Eric Lynne - Director; Anna Church - Producer; Partizan - Production Company

Other Credits

Tivy Davis – Typographer;Karen Robins - Art Buyer

Date

October 2007 - ongoing

Background

The MTV Foundation wanted to dramatise and explain the inhumanities of modern day slavery.

Idea

The campaign set up the idea that slaves are really just commodities that can be traded like oil or pork bellies. It started with an email to big names in the City, promising them ‘a hot new investment’ and pointing them to a website – www.4continentscapitalmanagement.co.uk – which appeared to be that of a company investing in forced labour. At the same time, a viral video appeared online, apparently from an interview on a financial channel, discussing the growth potential of the forced labour market.

Three weeks later, a fake brochure for a 'Global Slavery Fund' was sent to 30 key targets, including heads of social causes and journalists. Positioned like an investment fund, the prospectus explained the benefits of slavery as an investment and directed the recipients to a website - www.slaverybusinessasusual.com - on which they could find out more about the hard facts about slavery and sign a petition.

Results

The campaign is ongoing, but has so far garnered 2,000 names for the petition.

Our Thoughts

It’s chilling to know that slavery still exists in the UK and across Europe. It’s even more chilling when you think that there are sound economic arguments in favour of forced labour. That’s what makes this campaign for the MTV Foundation so effective. You almost find yourself thinking, ‘hey, concentration camps? Not such a bad idea…’ This is irony put to brilliant use.

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