With certainly elements of the EU Referendum Leave campaign sparking allegations of widespread racism and paranoia, it's important to be able to put a human face to the people many in the party are essentially looking to lock out of the country due, in no small part, to their own conceited bigotry. This campaign, from the UN refugee agency UNHCR, does just that. Created in partnership with the Blippar augmented reality app, the campaign aims to raise awareness of the refugee crisis, in the run up to World Refugee Day.
Whilst putting a major Hollywood face on such a campaign might come across as a little pandering and insincere, the team has instead chosen to focus the work around a harrowing film starring young up-and-coming British actor Jack O'Connell, who really sells the plight of the refugee. The “Home” film, which has been specially created for the campaign, is launching in Picturehouse cinemas across the country on World Refugee Day (today, Monday, June 20). In an incendiary move, the film, from Daniel Mulloy, casts O'Connell and Holliday Grainger as the parents at the head of a typical, white, British lower middle class family, who are forced to leave their home due to unforeseen circumstances. If you have 'blipped' your hand, you can also catch an exclusive trailer of the film, which was created by BBH London’s in-house production unit, Black Sheep Studios, in partnership with Somesuch, DokuFest, the Kosovan film festival, and, of course, UNHCR.
“We are proud to work with UNHCR and BBH London to enable people to raise their hands, whatever their colour or creed, in support of refugees”
As part of the campaign, Blippar is allowing people to show their support of refugees by ‘blipping’ (scanning) their hands via the Blippar app. Once people ‘blipp’ their hand with the app’s camera, they instantly sign the UNHCR With Refugees petition asking governments to act with solidarity and shared responsibility. Blipping your hand also allows you to show support by sharing a ‘hand selfie’ using the campaign hashtag #WithRefugees. The idea is that a Refugees’ hand often reflect the journey they have taken, having been marked by the places and terrain they've had to traverse to get where they are. This is why Blippar is encouraging people to literally and virtually raise their hands in support of the refugees.
Omaid Hiwaizi, President of Global Marketing at Blippar, said: “We are proud to work with UNHCR and BBH London to enable people to raise their hands, whatever their colour or creed, in support of refugees. As an an extremely diverse global company, Blippar stands firmly #WithRefugees.” Blippar is the leading augmented reality and visual discovery app. Its technology uses computer vision and artificial intelligence to recognize everyday objects to unlock relevant content and explain the connections between them. This campaign, and the technology behind it, is a wonderful example of tech working organically with a campaign to create something unique, relatable and exciting, and I can't wait to see Blippar used in more creative applications in the near future.
Home – Trailer
Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer and struggling musician from Kidderminster in the UK.
