Our insight was clear: in times of war, civilian casualties are a result of choices, not accidents. For that, we created a powerful concept: In war there are no accidents. There are decisions.

This message was developed in an online video, which showed the story of Ali, a child living in a country at war. In the film follow him through his ordinary routine, making him someone relatable, a child that could be our son, our friend or us. In the end, no matter what he does, the careless decision-making of those in power has a devastating effect on his life. It’s simple story that shows clearly the difference between an accident, and a decision that should be condemned. It’s a choice to respect the rules of war that can protect civilians, and save lives.

We created a 1’ 45” online film that was released November 6th 2017. The film was shot in Beirut, using street casting in order to be as faithful to reality as possible.

The film was distributed through ICRC’s own digital platforms (Facebook and Twitter) and each delegation of the Red Cross’ own YouTube channels, all around the world. In total, more than 90 delegations in different countries broadcasted the film, which was translated to more than 10 different languages to make sure the message reached as far as possible.

We also created a microsite that the film would link to, where we explained clearly for the average audience what the rules of war are, why are they important, and how they could help ensure that they were respected by their own countries: http://bit.ly/2yqUQak

Production costs were around 81k.

In total, the film got 13.5 million impressions, with 4.9 million views and 68K interactions (between likes, shares and comments). Almost 300 thousand reproductions were 100% fully views, watched from the beginning to the end of the film.

We went from almost zero knowledge about the Geneva Conventions, to more than 50 thousand viewers who went to ICRC webpage directly from the link on film, receiving further information about the Rules of War.

The film was made to engage viewers from the beginning; the intention was to hook them up so that they would be interested on the main character, and start feeling sympathy for him. It was very important that the film was watched as a piece of content, brandless, as if it was a short movie or a documentary. The only way we could make the message stand out from the flood of news about the subject of civilians death (that are often ignored) was to make it an “entertaining” story, which could keep viewers attentive from beginning to end.

The strategy was not to point fingers or name those responsible for the attacks, but instead to connect with the general public through a relevant message, standing out amongst all the bad news they witness daily.

We raised awareness in a way that impacts and mobilizes, with a message that provokes empathy. We approached the problem trying to move people from the position of being observers, watching the news and being aware of the situation; to walking in their shoes and understanding what the real problem is. We didn’t only have to fight against a lack of information, but rather a lack of relevance.

We created a connection, a parallelism that people who have never experienced living in a conflict zone could understand.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a neutral institution, which works towards the protection to victims of armed conflicts. They are the custodians of IHL (International Humanitarian Law) through the so-called Rules of War. These rules are universal; countries are legally obligated to uphold them. They set out limits to war, saving lives and reducing suffering, such as condemning attacks against civilians. However, these rules are not being respected.

The ICRC wanted to raise awareness about this issue. They needed to make the general public familiar with the situation that civilians are living in conflict zones. The attacks that are being perpetrated against them are deliberate, and illegal.

The ICRC wants to sensitise the public, and by extension their leaders, about why these laws are relevant today. If they are of interest to the public, they will be of interest to decision makers influenced by their constituents.