Recognising the crisis unfolding at the border where traffickers have been waiting for Ukrainian refugees to arrive, BBD Perfect Strom and Unseen have come together to ensure their safe arrival. They have worked together to lobby the biggest telco companies in Europe, from Vodafone to EE, to roll-out their simple, yet effective idea: a welcome text that provides critical information to arrivals as soon as they step foot in the UK.
As a result, the OSCE has launched a Pan-European initiative so that Ukrainians can access the information if they land in any participating OSCE states. This is a perfect example of the power of the creative industry solving real world problems. Seb Hill, ECD at BBD Perfect Storm, couldn’t believe no one had thought of it!
What was the brief?
Unseen, the anti-slavery charity, recognised a growing problem at the boarders across Europe as the War in Ukraine unfolded. With hundred of thousands of vulnerable people on the move, mostly women and children, human traffickers were waiting - offering lifts or the promise of accommodation and work.
Unseen recognised the need to step in early enough to reduce the amount of people falling into the hands of traffickers and a life of slavery.
We met with Unseen and saw an opportunity to use our creativity to solve a growing problem so we jumped at the opportunity to support them pro bono. It became the start of a great collaboration as we guided them from the concept of the text to its delivery.
How did the initial pitch/brainstorming phase go?
We sat in a room with Unseen to fully understand the situation. We heard insights and anecdotes directly from the people on the ground. We quickly realised that the generosity and urgency of European nations was causing another problem - opening borders without a robust infrastructure attracted traffickers to the situation.
They saw it as a chance to exploit people. We thought we would be helping raise funds for the charity but what was clear immediately was the need for information delivered at the very moment they arrived.
What was the process behind ideating the concept?
The idea for the text was developed from Unseen’s initial plan to hand out leaflets at the point of entry to the UK. However, this approach didn’t account for how quickly traffickers can make contact with arrivals and the logistical issues of having enough people to hand out leaflets to reach everyone arriving.
To address this, we came up with a simple solution: use existing telco infrastructure to reach as many people as possible. Given that most people have a mobile phone, the automated text delivers key information at the most critical point of their journey - landing in a foreign country when they are at their most vulnerable.
What was the production process like?
We had to act quicky with agility with a constant stream of social posts and a film that asked for support.
What was the biggest challenge during production? How did you overcome it?
It was pro bono so managing hard costs and our time was a challenge. But the biggest challenge was getting the Telcos on board. It seemed simple but there was a huge technical requirement to sending the text out.
We also assumed it would be the UK Telcos we’d have to convince but it was in fact the Ukrainian companies we had to persuade. Luckily, we had the backing of almost every anti-slavery NGO in the UK.
What kit/tools/software were used to create the project?
The persuasion stage was mostly social posts asking people to put pressure on their Telco and an open letter written by al the NGO’s. It was shared by politicians, celebs and the public.
Everyone has a mobile and I think people could relate to the simple idea. The comparison to a Network welcome text that we all get when we go abroad and switch our phones back on made it seem much more tangible, relatable and real.
What is one funny or notable thing that happened during production?
The most notable thing after production was that once it was in place in the UK it was almost immediately adopted by the rest of Europe. The insight was universal, and so was the solution.
As an aside we also created our agency Christmas campaign for the children that were left behind for medical and vulnerability reasons. We created UkraineDeer, asking clients to buy a toy from an Amazon Wish List that got shipped directly to the hospital or organisation that was caring for them.
What’s the main message of this project and why does it matter?
The Welcome Text was born out of a simple but powerful idea: that a text message could be a life-saving tool if we could reach the Ukrainians as soon as they arrived. The situation across Europe was, and remains, complex, but to ensure that we made the solution as accessible as possible, we needed it to be simple.
Most Ukrainians have access to a mobile phone- which is why we couldn’t believe no one had thought of the idea before us!
How long did it take from inception to delivery?
It took around 5 months for the first Telco to get onboard.
What do you hope it achieves for the brand?
Seeing the impact of the initiative in the UK, and now its adoption by the OSCE is incredibly rewarding, and we hope it will continue to make a real difference in the fight against slavery.
We are also so proud that our work with Unseen brought home a Bronze Lion within the Lions For Good, Sustainable Development Goals category at this year’s Cannes Lions. In fact, because of the win, Cannes Lions are donating €43 k to Unseen. It truly shows that the simplest ideas can make the biggest impact, and remains one of the proudest moments for our agency.
Credit list for the work?
Client: Unseen UK
Agency: BBD Perfect Storm
Executive Creative Director: Seb Hill
Senior Art Director: Jake Hill-Gowing
Head of Design: Louise Ormerod
Designers: Rob Palmer, Holly Reynolds
Editor: Minh Ngan
Executive Director: Nick Dutnall
CEO: Andrew Wallis
Head of Communications: Dominic Murphy
