UnLtd campaign asks people to ‘invest’ in at risk youth by donating to Whitelion
Over 35 companies in the media and creative industries have come together to launch the first ever awareness campaign for UnLtd’s charity partner, Whitelion.
The campaign, titled Invest In Me’ seeks to change the perceptions of young people at risk and highlight their determination and ability overcome their past to create better futures on their terms.
UnLtd is an organisation that connects the media, marketing and creative industries with charities helping children and young people. Its partner, Whitelion, is a charity that connects at risk young people with the community to help them make positive life changes.
The Invest In Me campaign was first announced back in May, with over 30 corporate partners coming on board and committing over $1.5m worth of media inventory.
The campaign was created on a pro-bono basis by Ogilvy and the companies supporting the campaign include 10 Digital, ACM, ARN, AdNews, Daily Mail, Domain, Facebook, Google, In Mobi, JC Decaux, Kantar, MCN, Network 10, News Corp, Nine, Nova, One Green Bean, Ooh Media, Pacific Magazines, Pedestrian, Players Voice, QMS, Quantcast, REA, SBS, Seven Digital,
Shopper Media, Seven Network, Snapchat, Southern Cross Austereo, Spotify, The Guardian, The Trade Desk, Tonic Health Media, Tribe, Twitter, Unruly, Val Morgan, Verizon, Wavemaker and WOM Network.
Damien Pashby, group account director at Ogilvy, said that the campaign wanted to show the young people in the ad as survivors of their circumstance.
“It’s staggering that there are approximately 36,000 young people in Australia who are currently homeless or sleeping rough. Young people who due to family circumstances and other issues usually outside of their own control, have ended up in a position where they need help. Before adulthood, these young people have often faced more challenges than most of us would in a lifetime and the daily determination that keeps them going is what we really wanted to focus on. They’re not homeless, they’re survivors,” Pashby said.
“Despite their situation, they have the ambition and drive to work to better their situations. This is a side of homelessness that hasn’t been focused on to date, and essentially is the point of impact for Whitelion – helping to provide support and guide the next steps in their lives to impact them for the better. The real young people who feature across the ‘Invest in Me’ campaign were a true inspiration to work with and the hope is that through this campaign, we can help Australians recognise the potential that exists inside each and every one of the youths that Whitelion work with.”
Chris Freel, CEO of UnLtd, said in a statement: “Our role at UnLtd is to unlock the power of our industry to help children and young people at risk and this campaign is a perfect example of the good we can do when we work together. Thank you to the 35+ companies that have donated media space, Wavemaker for managing this, OGB for the PR, Kantar for measuring effectiveness, and Ogilvy for creating the campaign. This is collaboration at its finest and testament to a wonderful industry for rallying behind Whitelion.”
Rosie Walsh, client communications manager at Wavemaker, said: “We are extremely grateful to have been given the opportunity to help bring this campaign to life. It’s a powerful reminder of the influence our industry holds and the positive change we can drive, when we all band together. The Wavemaker team have all absolutely loved working on such an incredible campaign alongside Whitelion, UnLtd, Ogilvy and all of our generous media partners.”
Hang Vo, CEO of Whitelion, was grateful for the support of Unltd and the organisations involved in the campaign.
“We are absolutely blown away by the incredible support we’ve received from the media, marketing and creative industry through UnLtd. This campaign is a unique opportunity for us to raise awareness of Whitelion and to help change the perception of the incredible young people we support. The circumstances these young people have had to face are often at no fault of their own. Our job is to help them move forward and build a better future for themselves – to choose a life they want, not what they’ve been given. We help build their skills and confidence to form positive social connection through mentoring and outreach which improves their chances of going back to school or getting a job,” Vo said.
The campaign will be executed across digital, print, radio, TV and outdoor in July and August.
Credits
Creative Agency: Ogilvy
Creative Director: Luke Hawkins & Ben Smith
Art Director: Simon Dall
Copywriter: Jasmine Subrata
Creative Designer: Chad Edwards
Executive Producer: Rob Spencer
Agency Producer: Sophie Stone
Chief Strategy Officer: Toby Harrison
Strategist: Magdalena Tomislav-Collins
Group Account Director: Damien Pashby
Account Director: Anne Brooke
Production Company: OgilvyX
Director: Newman Sorensen
DOP: Paul Shakeshaft
Sound: Nylon
Production company: Louis&Co
Photographer: Steve Baccon
Production Director: Ashley Risstrom
Agency Producer: Giovanna Javelosa
Media Agency: Wavemaker
Client Communications Manager: Rosie Walsh
Strategy & Planning: Alisha Imam
Investment Manager: Jun Sayabath
Investment Executive: Gabriella Iskander
Digital Manager: Giorgia Tavella
Digital Associate Manager: Annastasha Gounder
Digital Campaign Administrator: Laurence McLachlan
Client: Whitelion
Director of Strategy, Marketing & Communications: Rowena Middlemiss
Co-ordination: UnLtd
Katie Rudge
Rachel Troy
