Amnesty International takes on global arms trade with online innovation through M&C Saatchi

June 4 2012, 10:54 am | BY Lynchy | 5 Comments

Campaign Brief 335.pngWith global trade regulations tighter on bananas and coffee than they are on weapons, Amnesty International Australia has embarked on a major campaign calling for a strong global arms trade treaty to end arms abuses that cause human rights violations.

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Says Katie Hart, Amnesty International Australia’s marketing manager: “When one person is killed every minute in armed conflict, it is clear that world’s weapons must be kept out of the wrong hands. This can only happen with the support of thousands of people across the country signing up to demand governments stop putting arms trade profits before human rights.” 

 

The Amnesty International Australia campaign involves a flurry of powerful Facebook ads, guerrilla sticker activation and Avant Card distribution in the lead up to the major street event happening at Melbourne’s Federation Square on June 13.

Blue King Brown, Matt Preston, The Chaser and Alex Perry are just some of the celebrities who have lent their clout to this critical campaign.

 

M&C Saatchi developed a first of its kind interactive digital petition especially designed for the campaign.

 

Says M&C Saatchi executive creative director Ben Welsh: “The digital petition is a labour of love and the perfect example of brutal simplicity. The site has only been live a matter of weeks and we are already nearly halfway to the target of 20,000 signatures with one month to go. 

 

Using the keyboard or digital pen, the individual letters in the signature are together transformed into an underground tunnel through which a child soldier crawls to escape, symbolising the ‘Path to Freedom’.  We really believe in what Amnesty International is trying to achieve here and we were prepared to work endless nights to make it happen.” 

 

The innovative tool will help Amnesty International to collect thousands of signatures to take to world governments when they meet at the United Nations in July to negotiate the global arms trade treaty.