Worldwide, there were 80 million refugees in 2020. The Mediterranean was, and still is, one of the hotspots of this humanitarian crisis. Tens of thousands of refugees have drowned in the Mediterranean Sea. Europe is watching, closing its borders and ignoring their duty to rescue at sea. At the same time, civil sea rescue is being prevented from saving lives, and five rescue ships are currently being held on flimsy grounds. “Fort Europe” has become a reality. This is despite the fact that rescue at sea is a state task, and all EU Member States have pledged to respect Human Rights.

Human rights? They simply drown with the refugees.

How do we get Europe and its politicians to look again and fulfil its humanitarian duty?

The Drowned Requiem is a unique music video. It leveraged on the sheer fascination brought by the unseen, which served as a Trojan horse for the campaign: intriguing beauty combined with dreadful glimpses.

Recomposed into a requiem and performed by the underwater musicians Between Music, Beethoven's "Ode to Joy", the European Anthem, was played at the grave of thousands who drowned seeking help – at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea.

1) Leveraging the power of authentic, real people and influencers to act as multipliers.

Instead of focusing on mainstream media and political news, the campaign was to efficiently engage its target audience by using the early adaptors and influencer's reach; turning their statement videos into messages on their own. And we also focused on a unique segment: musicians and music enthusiasts. The recomposition of Beethoven’s "Ode to joy" and the unique music video was to draw attention in the cultural world. From there on, the influencer community shall push the message further and simultaneously start the discussion on various social media platforms and all over the media.

2) Targeting politicians and empowering citizens to maximise pressure

We should geotarget European politicians, both directly and through newly empowered citizens that challenged their representatives to act.

The video was launched throughout Europe along with a petition to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to stop the tragedy at the Mediterranean and to support state sea rescue. In addition, the campaign raised funds for the new rescue ship “SEA-EYE 4”.

The idea behind the unique approach of the Drowned Requiem campaign was to hit the social networks and obtain media coverage through diverse target groups: musicians and music enthusiasts as well as the world of politics and social activism. Using social channels served as an optimal springboard. The intention was to create as much buzz as possible from the start. After all, those who can generate a high level of engagement in social networks also demonstrate social relevance.

The campaign found it's way into the most influential European News channels, especially in the cultural segment. Highlighted by an ARTE documentary on the musicians and their project, the campaign was featured in ARD, RTL, WDR, SR, Sveriges Radio, KM! Radio, Deutschland Funk Kultur, La Publicidad, Stuttgarter Nachrichten and many more.

The performance video of the "Drowned Requiem" spread throughout Europe. It was particularly successful in government districts from Brussels to Berlin thanks to geotargeting. Through the campaign page, thousands of Europeans emailed EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen to remind her of the EU's treaty obligations - and United4Rescue raised donations for a new rescue ship.

More than 15 million contacts, visitors from 133 countries for wesendaship.org, an average donation of 84.37 Euro per donor and 440,000 Euro for a new rescue ship: the Sea-Eye 4. Financed in a record-breaking 4 weeks.

Today the result of the campaign saves more than 400 lives in the Mediterranean. As Sandra Bils, founding member of United4Rescue, said:

"We no longer want to watch indifferently and inactively as the Mediterranean becomes a mass grave. That is why we commemorate all the dead fugitives with this requiem. With every dead person in the Mediterranean, our European values also perish! And at the same time we want to do everything to prevent further deaths. We are sending another ship."

And Ursula von der Leyen? She had her email account disabled.