PR > PR: Digital & Social

#THEWORLDNEEDSMORE

LEO BURNETT NEW YORK, New York / UNITED NATIONS, OFFICE FOR THE COORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS / 2014

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Overview

Credits

OVERVIEW

CampaignDescription

The UN asked us to generate essential funding for humanitarian aid. While people want to help disaster victims, often the only resource they have to give are their words of support, strength and hope which are seen across all social media channels.

Our solution: turn people’s words into action. Introducing ‘The World Needs More’ – a first of its kind marketplace for words.

Brands and individuals are invited to sponsor a word they think the world needs more of. Every time that word is shared using #TheWorldNeedsMore, a percentage of the sponsored amount is unlocked. The more words people share, the more money is donated.

On World Humanitarian Day we launched the marketplace for words by asking a simple question. What do you think the world needs more of?

Celebrities and influencers including Beyoncé, YouTube personality Kid President, David Guetta and Mikky Ekko created video and music content; inviting people to share a word and make it a reality.

Kid President asked Beyoncé for help to launch World Humanitarian Day 2013 through a YouTube video that quickly generating global PR.

We used the UN building as a PR vehicle with an interactive projection of live tweets, the first in the United Nations history.

Over 100 community events were held around the world to generate PR inspire action.

The Campaign hashtags #TheWorldNeedsMore and #WHD2013 trended worldwide on several occasions.

The story was picked up in global earned media including New York Times, CNN and Forbes, MTV, RollingStone and Billboard.

ClientBriefOrObjective

More than just creating awareness for World Humanitarian Day we had to create a platform that would help generate funding and resources for both ongoing and new humanitarian aid efforts.

Aid workers need resources like food, shelter and medicine to help victims around the world. But while people want to help, often the only resource they have to give are their words of support, strength and hope.

These words can be seen across all social media channels when disasters strike. We wanted to find a way to turn peoples words of support into real action.

Effectiveness

The marketplace for words has been recognized as a new model of philanthropy for the United Nations to monetize public support. A model so successful that it’s become a permanent platform for future humanitarian aid efforts.

- Major brands and individuals sponsored words including Intel, Beyoncé, Barclays, David Guetta and Gucci.

- Earned major international news and entertainment PR including New York Times, USA Today, Daily Mirror, CNN, Huffington Post, MTV, Bloomberg Business, Forbes, RollingStone and Billboard.

- 2.5 million words shared to date.

- Over $700,000 raised to date.

- 1.3 billion social media impressions earned.

- Over 1 billion media impressions generated through traditional and online media.

- Hashtags #TheWorldNeedsMore #WHD2013 trended worldwide.

- Over 100 events held around the world for World Humanitarian Day.

- First-of-its-kind use of the UN building as a media space through an interactive projection of live tweets.

Execution

We turned people’s words of support on social media into action by creating a first of its kind marketplace for words called ‘#TheWorldNeedsMore’.

Brands and individuals are invited to sponsor a word they think the world needs more of. Every time that word is shared using #TheWorldNeedsMore, a percentage of the sponsored amount is unlocked. The more words people share, the more money is donated.

The platform was picked up in social media and earned global PR as a new marketplace for words created by the United Nations.

We then built further PR momentum through branded content: Celebrities and influencers including Beyoncé, Kid President, David Guetta and Mikky Ekko created video and music content inviting people to share the words; we turned the UN building into a new media space through an interactive projection of live tweets and held over 100 community events around the world to inspire action.

Relevancy

World Humanitarian Day falls on 19 August, the day in 2003 when 22 aid workers were killed in a bombing at the UN headquarters in Baghdad. It's a day to commemorate all people who have lost their lives in humanitarian service and to celebrate the spirit of people helping people that motivate this work.

In 2013 the United Nations asked us to help raise much-needed funds to continue humanitarian aid efforts.

Strategy

When a disaster strikes, aid workers need resources like food, shelter and medicine to help the victims. But while people want to help, often the only resource they have to give are their words of support, strength, hope and peace, which can be seen across all social media channels.

We decided to create a platform that utilized the power of social media to easily and most efficiently reach the most amount of people around the world, while generating action.

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