Reimagine the world like a gamer

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered an unprecedented global health, humanitarian, socioeconomic and human rights crisis. Added pressure on overburdened social and health services threatened to reverse decades of hard-won development gains for children, while lockdowns and other restrictions exacerbated the vulnerabilities of children and their families globally. Children continued to be disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic that disrupted everything that we know is critical for children’s social, physical, mental and emotional development, learning and well-being With the devastating effects of COVID-19 still taking their toll, UNICEF needed to create a new strategy designed to engage audiences differently - at a time when they may be facing personal, local and global challenges. This campaign’s aim was to shift perceptions of refugees and migrants and encourage donations to the charity.

Idea

As part of UNICEF’s global flagship Reimagine campaign, VaynerMedia London collaborated with the organization to launch ‘Reimagine the world like a gamer”. This campaign challenged viewers to think differently about refugee and migrant children by recasting them as lead characters in video games – full of ambition and adventure, rather than being labelled as victims. The campaign’s hero film was a one-minute production shot remotely during lockdown in Greece, and brought to life the real stories of three children: Nora, Sama and Pouya. It explained their dreams for the future – to become a doctor, an author and a pilot – and called on the audience to help them reach their goals with the headline: ‘Your New Mission: Unlock Their Potential’. While charity ads often focussed on guilt and fear, these creative executions used the guise of gaming to help viewers see these children’s lives differently. Positioning the audience as though they are gamers themselves, the clip used visuals often seen in video games (such as a heads-up display, or HUD) to mimic how video games audiences are primed to think beyond conventional limits and borders. By doing so, viewers could see the innate potential in these children, rather than just the confines of their current situation. In addition to the campaign work, VaynerMedia London collaborated with UNICEF and Gameloft to create a digital mini game, with the children starring in the campaign as the main characters.

This campaign did not actually include a "game" people could play. Instead, the 60' spot was created to feel like a game, to resonate with viewers on a more relatable, human level, showcase the children's experiences from a viewpoint that helps the audience understand their context and potential, and encourage UNICEF donations via a more positive, relatable route. Further information: For UNICEF's global hero film, the real stories of three children were brought to life: Nora, Sama and Pouya. They not only overcame adversity, but discrimination too, to expand society with their skills and passions.

This spot employed gaming to powerfully convey the children’s real potential through missions - their dreams for the future - like becoming a doctor, author and pilot. Showing their skills and ambitions like this, simply showed the viewer the value they bring to the game; and ultimately society.

The spot mixed real-life, POV footage and graphics to create a fast-paced film that felt interactive. It put the viewer in the position of the children, as they navigated life, helping to build a stronger emotional connection between the donor and the child.

The intention was to create opportunities for the audience to be involved in experiencing the children’s stories, helping them to appreciate the innate potential of refugee and migrant Children. Relatable, contextual media placements (including in-game) were used across social and digital to drive involvement and traffic to the landing page.