In New Zealand branded entertainment is in its infancy. While there are some very good examples, in many cases the brands offer up clumsy associations or content that isn’t relevant or interesting to the target market.

Trial by Timeline is a hugely popular social media campaign. It’s incredibly personal branded content. Using your previous social media activity to create a unique film about your life.

We turned to Facebook as the place where so many of us freely express ourselves and share our lives. Tapping into users Facebook profiles, we were able to create a personally relevant experience of how human rights are affected in other parts of the world and, therefore, how important the work of Amnesty International is to all humans.

As the site went live, we launched a PR campaign across major TV and new stations, IT publications and social media sites. We tapped into Amnesty’s network of local supporters to spark the social sharing aspect of the campaign.

As users trialed and shared the application, we trended on Twitter and visits to the site grew. So much so that, with addition of greater server capacity, sharing continued around the world, reaching over 135 countries.

Our New Zealand project is in its infancy, but has already gathered global traction. Daily visits have topped 15,000 and over 135 countries have taken part. Amnesty sections in Sweden, Turkey, South Korea, Denmark and Norway have requested translations of the software.

Closer to home, Trial by Timeline has received coverage across national media channels, trended on Twitter and been shared and advocated by local celebrities and influential bloggers.