Red Cross Flanders: Merry Christmas from Syria
Red Cross Flanders needed to increase public awareness and donations for Syrian refugees in Belgium during the Christmas period. The client sought to move the Belgian public from passive sympathy to active support for refugees living within their communities.
Creative Idea
Children singing a carol in a war zone were revealed as refugees in Belgium.
The campaign depicted Syrian children singing a Christmas carol in what appeared to be a war-torn landscape, only to reveal they were refugees living in Belgium. This powerful twist reversed audience expectations, transforming distant empathy into immediate, local relevance and prompting support for refugees during the festive season.
Creative Strategy Deconstructed
Company
Red Cross Flanders possessed strong credibility in humanitarian aid and a direct mandate to support refugees within Belgium.
Category
Charity campaigns often rely on direct appeals showing suffering, but this campaign sought a more impactful, unexpected narrative.
Customer
Audiences often feel detached from distant global crises, yet are more inclined to act when issues feel local and tangible.
Culture
The Christmas season culturally emphasizes compassion and giving, coinciding with heightened public discourse on refugee integration.
Company
Red Cross Flanders possessed strong credibility in humanitarian aid and a direct mandate to support refugees within Belgium.
Category
Charity campaigns often rely on direct appeals showing suffering, but this campaign sought a more impactful, unexpected narrative.
Strategy:
Connect distant global suffering to immediate local responsibility through an unexpected contextual shift.
Customer
Audiences often feel detached from distant global crises, yet are more inclined to act when issues feel local and tangible.
Culture
The Christmas season culturally emphasizes compassion and giving, coinciding with heightened public discourse on refugee integration.
Strategy:
Connect distant global suffering to immediate local responsibility through an unexpected contextual shift.
Strategy Technique
Reframe the Problem
The campaign reframes the distant suffering of the Syrian conflict into the immediate reality of refugees living in Belgium. This makes the issue personal and actionable for the local audience, fostering direct engagement.
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Creative Technique
Reverse Expectations
The video cleverly sets up a scene of children in a war zone, then reveals they are refugees in Belgium. This unexpected twist powerfully shifts the audience's perception of the issue from distant suffering to immediate, local need.
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