On February 24, 2022, Russia launched an invasion across Ukraine by land, air, and sea. Western officials claimed that by scope, the war could be the largest in Europe since 1945. In the first two months the toll on human life was devastating.

Our goal was to raise $5 million dollars for the Ukrainian charitable organization, Razom, to provide the urgent medical aid that was needed. To achieve this, we needed a campaign that would grab people’s attention and get national coverage with limited media support.

On March 15, 2022, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a passionate speech to the House of Commons challenging Canadians to think about what our lives would be like if we woke up one morning to tanks rolling down our streets. "Can you imagine [the] famous CN Tower, if it was hit by Russian bombs?" He pleaded, "Feel this: what we feel every day."

President Zelenskyy’s speech inspired the 'Feel What We Feel' humanitarian aid campaign. The creative forced Canadians to imagine what it would feel like, firsthand, to experience Ukraine's ravages of war by transforming their own familiar city landmarks such as the CN Tower in Toronto or Olympic Park in Montréal into barely recognizable, battle ruins.

As Canadians, we all held our breath as Russia invaded Ukraine. We witnessed death and destruction from the comfort of our homes. Despite being shocked and dismayed, it’s easy for those of us who aren’t living through war to move on with our safe and comfortable lives.

Because people are asked to donate regularly, one of the biggest challenges all charitable causes face to raise money is making the cause personal. Simply put, people donate to causes they connect with. So how could we make the war in Ukraine personal for Canadians?

To raise medical relief for Ukraine, we drew inspiration from Zelenskyy’s powerful plea for Canadians to "feel this: what we feel every day."

A plea that could bring the impact of the war closer to home, creating a personal connection with the suffering.

A plea that could motivate people to donate to those desperately in need.

QR codes, anchored by Zelenskyy’s call to action, transport users to a web-based experience that allows them to toggle between seeing what their thriving city landmark looks like today, and experience what that scene could look like after the devastation of war. And as the impact of that jarring experience takes hold, those users are immediately prompted to contribute to the cause, just as they are truly feeling what they feel in the Ukraine.

The omni-channel campaign includes integrated digital, 15s TV, traditional and digital interactive OOH, and a website.

The campaign delivered 231.5 M impressions worldwide within the first 24 hours. From Ad Age to The Korea Times, press outlets around the globe picked up the story. And the impact of that experience compelled visitors to engage with Razom. Visitor donations exceeded our expectations two-fold and to date has raised over $10 million dollars.

And the generous donations were put to good use. Razom was able to support Ukrainians by providing lifesaving medical supplies:

• 53,000 individual first aid kits

• 138 pallets of trauma medical supplies

• 50 defibrillators

• 3 ambulances

• 23 paramedic trucks

• 4000 walkie-talkies

• 500 forensic rape kits