French human rights organisation La Cimade piggy backs the spike in French Olympic related glorified sports advertising with a campaign called ‘Living Is Winning’ which aims to raise the profile of the thousands driven to feats of athletic prowess for greater stakes than medals.
The campaign is spearheaded by a set of three 30-second ads: ‘Swim’, ‘Jump’ and ‘Run’.
The ‘Swim’ spot starts with a close-up shot of a wet, trembling face with crowds cheering on all sides and a voiceover saying “In 2024, athletes will swim to win.”
The creative, punctuated by a beating heart, then sees the camera pans out, the cheering fade and the man is alone, exhausted, lying prostrate on a beach and partially covered in a space blanket.
The end line concludes: “Every day, refugees swim to live.”
‘Jump’ takes a similar approach: the first close up seems playful as an athlete seemingly measures up a friendly competitors, but as the scene shot widens it reveals that this is not a high bar but an apartheid wall.
The first shot in ‘Run’ focuses on the concentrated eyes of a woman in hijab, but this is not sportswear brand inclusivity initiative as the narrative evolves the woman collapses exhausted as others feeling simply divide to pass her by.
As well as running on YouTube, the commercials are amplified across the organisation’s other digital and social platforms.
Pour les personnes réfugiées, vivre est une victoire #LivingIsWinning#JO2024Parishttps://t.co/TaVS6triJe
— La Cimade (@lacimade) September 14, 2017
The campaign’s title and hashtag in #LivingIsWinning and each video’s description reads: “For all the refugees, living is already winning.”
The initiative was launched the day after Paris was officially named host of the 2024 Olympics.
As well as the three lead spots, the campaign is hubbed around a microsite at http://www.lacimade.org/vivre-est-une-victoire/ and is further supported by OOH work with posters – referencing the same three Olympic sports, plus running, combat, walking, rowing and sailing – created by the award-winning photographer Espen Rasmussen.
“As a photojournalist, my hope and goal is always to open the eyes of the public – to create discussions, raise awareness and inform. To show people’s struggle, but also to show hope,” Rasmussen says.
“That is why I provided images from my work to this campaign – so that all of us can learn something and hopefully react, with our mind and heart.”
“We can never say enough how much force and courage these women and men need to risk their lives in search for a better place beside us, where they hope to live in dignity,” says La Cimade president Geneviève Jacques.
“Protecting human dignity and social inclusion is at the heart of La Cimade’s mission since 1939. Our organization will double our efforts to continue to host, help and support refugees, but also raise awareness of their alarming situation among the wider public.”
The campaign was created and directed by an agency tandem led by Josiane Paris’ Valentin Guiod and Adam & Eve DDB London’s Min-Hyung Choi.
The lead actors were Salim Fontaine, Leila Sara and Tibo Drouet, film production was handled by OTSOParis, the music was by Edouard Druot, equipment was provided by RVZ and post by Delapost
Comment:
Tens of thousands of refugees arrive in France every year and the country recently committed to welcome 10,000 refugees from non-EU countries and ‘Living Is Winning’ illustrates that it is a human feat for so many just to arrive at the country’s shores.
We admire the creative approach that so easily manipulates the viewers ability to gauge the relevant emotion.
Almost every shot is a classic sport spot competitive spirit frame and feel, until the context is revealed.
There is a strong tradition of impressive and emotive cause campaigns in France and we expect that this is the first of many pre- Paris 2024 initiatives.
As yet the IOC has not announced whether there will be an official Refugee Team at future Olympics as there was in Rio where it was sponsored by Visa (see case study).
Links:
La Cimade
https://www.facebook.com/pg/lacimade/posts/
Josiane
http://www.josianefaitdelapub.com/
