Campaign for IOM against human trafficking
10 OCT 2009
Saatchi & Saatchi Switzerland, launched a new European campaign for IOM (International Organization for Migration) on the 19th of October 2009 in Brussels at Place Schuman to coincide with the third EU Anti-Trafficking Day and the start of a European ministerial conference on global EU action against human trafficking, urging consumers to play a greater role in ending this abuse.
The objective of the campaign is to open up the public debate on human labour trafficking and to kick start a change in consumer behaviour. The campaign is built upon the global insight that most consumers want to buy brands and products that match and reflect their human and ethical values. However, many consumers in industrialized countries do not realize that currently they may be contributing to the plight of humans being trafficked behind the simple, everyday things they purchase. This campaign encourages people to ask: “what lies behind the things we buy?”
“To talk about it is to expose it”, says Kerry Petty, Global Group Account Director, Saatchi & Saatchi, Switzerland, who lead the campaign. “We live in a world where the consumer has more control than ever before because they have choices. It is important that the brands and products reflect their ethical values, otherwise, they can choose something else”.
“We are not asking consumers to change the world” says Philippe Schwaar, Saatchi & Saatchi Switzerland, Creative Director on the campaign, “but if people took a stand by requiring that their products are proven to be human trafficking free, it’s a start. Thereby, corporations which ignore this social dimension in their manufacturing will increasingly tend to be rejected by the consumer”.
Since this event launch, more than 400 press articles have been written around the world about the campaign, 460 people joined the Facebook group related (Responsible Buyers), and over 6’000 visited the Campaign’s Website : www.buyresponsible.org in 4 days.
Responsible at IOM, Geneva: Richard Danziger (Head of Counter Trafficking Division)
Responsible at Saatchi & Saatchi: Philippe Schwaar (Creative Director), Boris Declerck (Copy), Anthony Lamy (Head of Interactive), Lamar Hawkins (Production)
