OXFAM LAUNCHES NEW ‘STAY IN THE FIGHT’ CAMPAIGN, BY DON’T PANIC

Oxfam today launches its latest legacy campaign, as it encourages activists to “stay in the fight” and continue to fight for causes important to them.

Shot on location in London, UK and Nairobi, Kenya, the inspiring Stay In The Fight film brings to life a story where protester Edith tells her grandchildren about her youth. How she used to protest with her friends, the ‘naughty’ things they’d write on their placards and how they would “give them hell” when they got there. As she talks we cut to what appears to be black and white flashbacks of her youth. The film builds to a crescendo when Edith reveals that she doesn’t protest anymore, but that she’s still in the fight! As she does, we reveal that it isn’t her youth in London that we’ve been seeing flashbacks of, but present day in Nairobi, Kenya, where another young protestor, Joyce, is on her march with her friends – drawing parallels between legacies and present-day activism.

Rick Dodds, Creative Partner, Don’t Panic said; “Authenticity was at the heart of this one. Finding a real protestor and a real protest happening in Kenya brought a lot of production challenges, but it’s also why the film feels so true and real. Joyce, the Kenyan protestor, was amazing to work with. She is passionate about climate change and she brought all of that passion to the film. We had to be nimble in our production process because the protest dates, and even the protest route, kept changing. Once we had shot the real protest in Kenya, we then worked backwards to cast our “UK Grandma”. We needed to find an actor who could captivate our audience and who could realistically be an older Joyce so that the reveal would work. Edith, our UK Grandma, also used to go on protests, so this brought some real power and genuine storytelling to the film.”

To mark the campaign launch, Oxfam has also paid tribute to one of the largest public demonstrations in British history by reuniting a group of the protestors from the iconic 1983 march for peace in London’s Hyde Park.

The original demonstration, which took place on October 22^nd 1983, saw 400,000 people gather in Hyde Park to protest against the presence of nuclear missiles in the UK. Oxfam worked with the original demonstrators to recreate images on the eve of the 40-year anniversary of the march.

The reunion marks the launch of a new drive from Oxfam to ask the Boomer generation to “Stay in the Fight” with the next generation, by leaving a legacy in their Will to continue supporting causes important to them during their lifetime. Oxfam’s rallying cry to “Stay in the Fight” celebrates the people that showed up for what they believed in then, and continue to do so now.

Sinem Bilen-Onabanjo, Legacy Engagement Lead at Oxfam said  “Often legacy campaigns which target an older audience, speak in a certain soft, pared back, almost patronising tone, and paint them as an archetypal ‘old person’. We wanted to break that mould and honour the fighter spirit that is this generation’s hallmark, and celebrate them as the original protest generation. The campaign takes Oxfam back to its activist roots, and has paved the way for a tone that plays into this generation’s inherent fighter instinct, with sentiments brought to life by our legacy pledgers and our reunified protesters who still share these values. Working with Don’t Panic, we have been able to create a bold integrated campaign with authenticity at its heart, that feels a long way off from a traditional legacy campaign.”

The film is directed by Ebeneza Blanche – an award-winning multidisciplinary filmmaker. Having grown up in between Ghana, Amsterdam and London, the filmmaker fervently pursues human stories close to his heart throughout his work, in particular bringing stories from the West African diaspora to the forefront. Lauded by The Face magazine as a one to watch, Ebeneza has worked with an impressive array of talent, directing pieces for some of the world’s most revered stars and brands including: Little Simz, Skepta, Wizkid, Joy Crookes, Chanel, Gucci and Nike.

The campaign airs across Sky, ITV, Channel 4, Sky News and Channel 5 from 19th October, and will also run across out of home, press and radio. Media was planned and booked by The Kite Factory Media.

Source: Don’t Panic

  Advertising, Campaign, Dont Panic, Kenya, Marketing, Oxfam, UK