‘Don’t Choose Extinction’ global cinema ad aims to inspire movie theater audiences to join fight against climate change.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Global Cinema Adervtising Association (SAWA) launched an eight-week international cinema advertising – ‘Don’t Choose Extinction’, on 12 May, 2022, aimed at raising awareness of the climate emergency and spurring broader and the urgent action to address it.
In the 60-second ‘Don’t Choose Extinction’ cinema ad, Frankie, an animated dinosaur is seen storming into the UN General Assembly, seizing its iconic podium, and urging stunned-looking dignitaries to avoid the dinosaurs’ fate—extinction—by making changes to tackle the climate crisis.
At the red-carpet launch of the film’s cinema release, SAWA and the Global Cinema Medium were presented the inaugural UNDP ‘Frankie’ Award for Climate Impact. The honor recognizes SAWA and the Global Cinema Medium’s tremendous efforts to screen the 60-second spot in 30 countries during a two-month period. The cinema ad, produced in 15 languages, has been mastered and distributed by UniqueX in the United Kingdom.
The animated Utharaptor, the first computer-generated character to appear inside the iconic General Assembly building, anchors UNDP’s ‘Don’t Choose Extinction’ Campaign. The original film was voiced in 39 languages and features famous actors from around the world, including Jack Black (English), Eiza González (Spanish), Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Danish), and Aïssa Maïga (French) and has been translated into more than 60 languages.
“While the global cinema ad is entertaining, it addresses issues that could not be more serious,” UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner said. “It urges countries to phase out fossil fuels subsidies, which harm the environment in ways that threaten our very existence. UNDP is deeply grateful to SAWA and the Global Cinema medium for its commitment to climate action and generous support in sharing this film through cinemas in 30 countries around the world.”
“Since 2015, the Global Cinema Medium has partnered with the United Nations to advance its Sustainable Development Goals. Again, in 2022, although cinema has been one of the hardest hit industries during the pandemic, our Global Cinema advertising companies have committed to supporting this campaign on climate change—seen as one of the most pressing challenges of our time.” said Cheryl Wannell, SAWA, CEO. “Gen Z, Millennials and Gen X put climate action high on the list for both themselves and the brands they use. They are among the hardest demographics to reach and comprise the core cinema audience.”
“Fossil fuel subsidies contribute to climate change and growing inequalities around the world. But there isn’t enough global awareness or understanding around this issue. The cinema release of the Don’t Choose Extinction campaign hopes to change all that by using creativity to inform and inspire millions of moviegoers around the world to take action,” said Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, UNDP Goodwill Ambassador and the Danish voice of Frankie the dinosaur.
Click here for more information on the ‘Don’t Choose Extinction’ ad campaign and to learn how to get involved in addressing climate change.
Meet the SAWA #HelloBigScreen Ad Legends for cinema – Sir John Hegarty, Mark Ritson, Corinne Woods, Marcello Serpa, Mark Tutssel and Rosie Arnold
SAWA (Global Cinema Advertising Association) recently launched a three-minute video – #HelloBigScreen … aimed at raising awareness for the unparalleled POWER and EFFECTIVENESS of cinema.
The video features six Ad Legends – the world’s most iconic names in the advertising, film and humanitarian worlds, sharing their thoughts on the importance of cinema by offering their endorsement to the ultimate creative expression in advertising – the ‘Cinema Medium’.
SAWA #HelloBigScreen Ad Legends Campaign:
Here’s what Sir John Hegarty (world-renowned creator of legendary ad campaigns for Levi’s, Lego, and Audi, among other), Mark Ritson (leading global advertising guru — brand consultant, and former marketing professor and has worked globally as a private marketing consultant for global organisations) and Corinne Woods (Director of Communications at United Nations World Food Programme and a key player in the transition and strategic implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals) have to say about the cinema medium:
Sir John Hegarty – Attention:
Cinemagoers are the most valuable & lucrative audience to reach because they’ve paid to be at the Cinema… “In a world of constant interruptions and distractions – Attention is the holy grail for marketers and that’s the reason why I like Cinema.”
Sir John Hegarty – Place of Dreams:
“I love the Cinema, it’s a Palace of Dreams, a place to be entertained and inspired, where your imagination is set free and Cinema is unique in a world of distraction.” The Big Screen is difficult to ignore and ads cannot be skipped or muted.
Sir John Hegarty – Mother of All Screens:
Does size matter to you? “When we see our life reduced to some handheld screen and we then go into a Cinema – the Mother of all screens – it is something to be sought after.”
Mark Ritson – Chasing Attention
“In an era where we are chasing attention and ‘viewability’ is a crucial word and targeting younger audiences is getting harder and harder – remember the power of the incredible medium of Cinema.”
Mark Ritson – Cult Ads Guinness & Levis 1984
“Let’s not forget the incredible emotion and viewability of Cinema and what wonderful things Cinema Advertising can do for brands.” If you want your message to have impact with high recall, using cinema as a platform guarantees powerful brand impact.
Corinne Woods – Perfect Environment
“The cinema experience is unique and tells stories to an audience that sits together, and as a community, watch films together as a community. It’s important to change the world and the cinema Medium can contribute to that.”
Marcello Serpa – No Distractions
“The bigger the screen, the bigger the emotion – that’s the power of Cinema.”
Rosie Arnold – A Strange Year
“Its not just the glory of the big screen, the sound and the visual elements, its the shared experience that is more powerful than anything I can think of. When the screen opens and the movie starts, you are moved and effected not just by the movie, but the Cinema advertising as well.”
Mark Tutssel – Curtains Open
“I love cinema advertising. It can turn up the volume and transfix an audience. It is a different Medium, you sit in the dark and are told a story.”
Mark Tutssel – Nothing Like It
“There’s nothing like Cinema that can captivate an audience.”
Mark Tutssel – Finest Cult Cinema Ads
“Think of some of the finest cult Cinema ads, highly engaging, changed culture and struck a visceral cord with audiences. Magical films that you can watch again and again and ideas that stay with audiences forever.”
Think cinema for effective advertising! Contact us to display your brand on the big screen across the GCC.
Hegarty, Ritson, Tutssel, Arnold, Woods and Serpa Endorse the Power and Value of the Global Cinema Medium in SAWA ’s #HelloBigScreen Ad Legends Campaign
A powerful three-minute video and multiple social media campaigns featuring vignettes from some of the world’s most iconic names in the advertising, film and humanitarian worlds launched on October 25th, 2021, aimed at raising awareness for the unparalleled power and effectiveness of Cinema. SAWA – the Global Cinema Advertising Association, and its members around the globe will utilize cinema, the trade press and social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube), to reach marketers, moviegoers and creative/media agencies.
The #HelloBigScreen Ad Legends campaign is a first for SAWA and the global cinema medium, and was created to support a medium that has showed its unswerving resilience over many decades – to be able to adapt and survive pretty much anything including the 1918 Pandemic as well as the current one. The campaign will launch featuring these Ad legends sharing their thoughts on the importance of cinema by offering their endorsement to the ultimate creative expression in advertising – the ‘Cinema Medium’.
The #HelloBigScreen Ad Legends campaign features:
Sir John Hegarty, world-renowned creator of legendary ad campaigns for Levi’s, Lego, and Audi, among other. John has been given the D&AD President’s Award for outstanding achievement and in 2014 was admitted to the US AAF Hall of Fame, awarded a Knighthood by the Queen in 2007 and recipient of the Lion of St. Mark, Cannes Lions.
Mark Ritson, a leading global advertising guru — brand consultant, and former marketing professor and has worked globally as a private marketing consultant for global organisations. He has a PhD in Marketing and taught on the MBA programmes of leading business schools including London Business School and MIT.
Corinne Woods, Director of Communications at United Nations World Food Programme and a key player in the transition and strategic implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Corinne was instrumental in developing a 3-year partnership with SAWA and its global Cinema Advertising companies to promote goal number 2, Hunger.
Marcello Serpa, Brazil’s most honoured and awarded art director, with 45 Clio Awards, and 149 Cannes Festival Lions, including Latin America’s first Grand Prix and the recipient of the Lion of St Mark from Cannes Lions. He was Creative Director and co-chairman of AlmapBBDO and built it into one of the most successful agencies in the world.
Mark Tutssel, Former Chairman and Global Creative Officer of Leo Burnett worldwide and creator of famous campaigns for brands such as Samsung, McDonalds, Coca Cola and P & G He has won every major creative accolade, including nine Cannes Grand Prix, over 600 Cannes Lions, the first-ever D&AD White Pencil, two D&AD Black Pencils, seven One Show Best of Show Pencils and two Emmy Awards.
Rosie Arnold, Former Executive Creative Director BBH London. At BBH Rosie won numerous awards for her creative work on brands such as Levi’s, Pretty Polly Robinsons, Audi, Heineken Shell, Yeo Valley and Lynx. Rosie was also the first female President of D&AD and introduced “The White Pencil”- awarded for work that not only sells but does good in the world
“I love the Cinema, it’s a Palace of Dreams, a place to be entertained and inspired, where your imagination is set free, and the Cinema Medium is unique in a world of distraction,” said Sir John Hegarty.
SAWA members participating in the campaign are Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Finland, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Peru, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates and the Middle East, United Kingdom, United States, and Uruguay.
“As the pandemic hit, leading Hollywood Film Directors stood up and endorsed the power of Cinema over all other screens. It is therefore great to see that the Ad legends of our business have done the same as it relates to the power of the Cinema medium as the ultimate place for Brands to appear,” said ‘Cheryl Wannell, CEO of SAWA.
3-minute Longform #HelloBigScreen Ad Legends Campaign:
One of the 30-second Social Media Content Videos of Sir John Hegarty:
As a member of SAWA, Motivate Val Morgan is proud to support this global cinema initiative. Stay tuned across our social platforms (LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter) for more on the #HelloBigScreen Ad Legends campaign, which will feature 11 individual 30-second videos of each Ad legend.
The UN World Food Programme partners with SAWA for yet another global cinema campaign to keep the voice of millions of children alive.
Motivate Val Morgan has joined the next phase of “Feed our Future”, a global cinema campaign that shines light on the United Nations World Food Programme’s (WFP) life-saving work on the frontlines of world hunger.
The ad started screening on Thursday 26th September 2019 across 19 Motivate Val Morgan serviced VOX Cinemas locations in UAE, Qatar and Bahrain, and will run for a period of 8 weeks.
UAE:
Marina Mall (Abu Dhabi), Yas Mall (Abu Dhabi), Nation Towers (Abu Dhabi), Abu Dhabi Mall, Al Jimi Mall, City Centre Ajman, City Centre Sharjah, City Centre Fujairah, Al Hamra Mall (Ras Al Khaimah), City Centre Deira, City Centre Mirdif, Mall of the Emirates, Mercato Mall, Burjuman, Cineplex Grand Hyatt, City Centre Shindagha and Aloft City Centre Deira
Qatar:
Doha Festival City
Bahrain:
The Avenues
Motivate Val Morgan supports the “Feed our Future” cinema campaign as part of a unique partnership between SAWA – Global Cinema Advertising Association, and WFP – leading humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide.
The new campaign aims to build on last year’s results that helped to double awareness of WFP among those who saw the ad and raised more than half a million dollars through online giving or through a 38% increase in downloads of the agency’s Share the Meal donation App, globally.
“We have every reason to believe that this year, the Feed our Future campaign is going to take us even further in terms of raising WFP brand visibility and engaging a wider audience in the fight against global hunger,” said Corinne Woods, Chief Marketing Officer at WFP. “We think that this year’s campaign is even more emotionally engaging and we expect more people will respond to our call. In a world full of noise, cinema has proven incredibly effective for us at cutting through to not only establish our brand, but also to convert cinema goers into active supporters and donors.”
“The Cinema Medium makes the most of its space, creative and audience to deliver gripping content, showing consumers advertising at its very best,” said Cheryl Wannell, CEO of SAWA. “In 2020 the Cinema Medium is predicted to become the fastest-growing ad medium ahead of the internet. For brands like the World Food Programme who want to reach the hearts and minds of millennials, the immersive experience that Cinema gives is the most powerful of all storytelling mediums.”
The creative force behind the new advertisement is Sir John Hegarty, of The Garage SOHO, who has delivered a product designed to appeal directly to cinema audiences. The advert highlights the potential lost to the world when children’s voices are silenced due to hunger. The poignant narrative of the ad sees a group of Syrian refugee children who were selected from the local community playing in rubble and gazing out of bombed-out buildings in an apparent war zone. Softly, a small chorus of voices begins singing “How Can I Tell You” by Yusuf Islam/Cat Stevens. As the short film progresses, one by one these children disappear until only one voice remains — an unnerving conclusion that mirrors the harsh realities faced by the 3 million children around the world who lose their lives to hunger or malnutrition.
“Cinema is still the most amazing medium for any creative person to work in. A place for you to tell your story on the ‘mother of all screens’. It’s not surprising that it’s so important and continues to capture the public’s imagination”, said Sir John Hegarty.
For more information about the “Feed Our Future” cinema campaign, and to learn how to get involved in creating a world with Zero Hunger, please visit: www.wfp.org.
Source: SAWA
Related Articles:
SAWA | Feed Our Future | Global Cinema Ad
How would you describe advertising of this day and age in one word? Overwhelming?
Over a hundred years ago, marketeers could choose to communicate messages through two main mediums – newspaper and radio (the first mass media form of communication that offered near real-time delivery).
Today, there is an arsenal of channels available for marketeers to convey their message – newspaper, radio, magazine, television, digital and SMS, which has led to audiences becoming immune to relentless brand messaging.
In April 2017, Procter and Gamble, one of the world’s largest advertisers, blasted the ad industry for overwhelming consumers with advertising. “There’s too much crap,” said P&G’s chief brand officer Marc Pritchard, in a speech to the American Association of Advertising Agencies – in a transcript seen by CNBC.
“We bombard consumers with thousands of ads a day, subject them to endless load times, interrupt them with pop-ups and overpopulate their screens and feeds,” he said.
With audiences tuning out as a result of advertising overload, how can brands effectively reach their target audience in this day and age?
New research by MESH Experience – commissioned by SAWA, suggests that cinema is a powerful marketing platform, ideal for boosting brand influence.
The study captured and analyzed over 4,500 brand experiences from more than 1200 people across 3 countries using MESH’s proprietary ‘Real-time Experience Tracking’ approach. The categories covered in the study comprise Automotive, Finance, Services, FMCG and Electronics. Participating organizations included National CineMedia (USA), Screenvision Media (USA), Cineplex Media (Canada), and Weischer Media (Germany).
Information displayed in image courtesy MESH Experience
Below are key insights that analyses the role of cinema vs. other media:
As context for this study, and pointed out by a recent Deloitte study, it is no longer enough for brands to simply communicate features and benefits because people want to understand more about the brand’s social purpose, particularly younger people. We also know that people are overloaded with information and this probably explains why in this MESH study we saw that more than a third of paid media messages are self-reported as making people feel “neutral” towards the brand.
Information displayed in image courtesy MESH Experience
Consumer information overload is creating a challenge for brands wanting to convey more complex concepts to customers who are time-poor with less attention to give.
The study conducted by MESH Experience discovered that the cinema environment delivers the greatest proportion of positive brand experiences vs. any other media with 2 out of 3 experiences being positive and virtually no negative experiences.
Information displayed in image courtesy MESH Experience
Information displayed in image courtesy MESH Experience
And this emotional engagement, where people spontaneously tell us their experience is positive, is leading to much deeper advertising comprehension:
Spontaneous descriptions for cinema brand experiences generated a word count that was 20% longer than those for online experiences and 12% longer than for TV.
Information displayed in image courtesy MESH Experience
These comments conveyed detailed product descriptions as well as depth of emotion.
Information displayed in image courtesy MESH Experience
Cinema is generally perceived to be an awareness building medium, however, this study saw how brand experiences in cinema generate action:
Study participants who experienced brand messages in Cinema were 43% more likely to feel inspired to find out more about the brand vs. brand experiences with other media.
Information displayed in image courtesy MESH Experience
Information displayed in image courtesy MESH Experience
And the depth of a cinema brand experience makes people feel 50% more connected to others which can lead to conversation, and we see is a key driver of brand consideration.
Information displayed in image courtesy MESH Experience
There is a direct relationship between building emotional connections and establishing brand recall value, and cinema advertising allows brands to craft concrete and solid brand images in the minds of their consumers. Creating brand recall is the crucial element required in pushing sales and driving revenue.
Cinema advertising allows brands to paint a picture on a larger canvas, deliver a story with a louder voice, and communicate a message with more focused attention – all of which combine to make it the only Superhero among all advertising mediums.
Fiona Blades, President and Chief Experience Officer, MESH Experience commented “What we have discovered is that cinema has the power to penetrate deeper to connect brands to people. Even if the same creative is shown repeatedly in another medium, it may never hit the high notes of one cinema viewing. This shows the vital role that cinema can play in a brand’s media mix. And is why, when you add cinema to other media, such as TV and online, it turbocharges the impact on brand consideration.”
Cheryl Wannell, CEO, SAWA, continued “As an industry we believe in creating trustworthy environments for advertisers to communicate in. What better place to help customers understand a brand’s purpose than Cinema. This research once again validates the strength of the Cinema medium as viable choice in any campaign especially when trying to engage the hard to reach demographics of Millennials and Generation Z.”
As a result of these initial findings, a second phase is already in the works for 2019.
Motivate Val Morgan is a full member of SAWA (Global Cinema Advertising Association)
Sources: SAWA, MESH Experience, CNBC, Research News Live and On Digital Marketing
The Global Cinema Ad draws attention to the potential lost every time a child dies of hunger.
Ad invites the public to connect and learn more about hunger through an in-cinema Facebook Messenger integration, and take action to help end hunger through the WFP’s ShareTheMeal app.
Motivate Val Morgan is proud to support yet another Global Cinema campaign – ‘Feed Our Future’, by SAWA (Global Cinema Advertising Association). The powerful new advertising campaign is aimed at stirring global cinema audiences into action to tackle global hunger by supporting the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), the world’s leading humanitarian organization fighting hunger worldwide.
The ad started screening across 14 Motivate Val Morgan serviced VOX Cinemas locations in the UAE on Thursday 20th September 2018, and will run for a period of 11 weeks.
‘Feed Our Future’ is a new global cinema campaign designed to engage and motivate people to participate in creating a world with Zero Hunger.
The campaign features a 60-second dramatic spot and is airing on cinema screens in over 25 countries.
This disruptive short film is designed to make people consider the potential lost every time a child dies of hunger.
Supported by SAWA, the global trade organization for cinema advertising, and the United Nations World Food Programme, the spot will encourage audiences to download ShareTheMeal – the world’s first mobile app against global hunger.
The cinema advertisement was conceived by advertising legend Sir John Hegarty and The Garage Soho. It was directed by acclaimed film director Lynne Ramsay and produced by award-winning production company Somesuch & Co.
“The creative challenge here is to find a way of engaging the audience without resorting to endless images of starving children. Creating empathy by reminding the viewer that when a child dies, we all lose,” said Sir John Hegarty.
Following the ad, the audience is urged to take part in creating a world with Zero Hunger by downloading ShareTheMeal, the world’s first app against global hunger. To further connect audiences with the advertisement, a unique Facebook Messenger integration with the ad will enable viewers to engage with the character of Miriam Adeke to learn more about her story and the issue of hunger by searching for ‘ShareTheMeal’ on Facebook Messenger. At a time when 821 million people – roughly one in nine of the global population – still go to bed on an empty stomach, this new digital integration will bring the offline, online by connecting viewers with the cinema advertisement and the issue in a brand-new way.
“Hunger is a major global issue. It is therefore fitting that the Cinema medium, with its global reach, should be proactive in driving awareness for the World Food Programme. Millennials who are educated, socially aware and a hard to reach demographic, make up a large part of the Cinema audience and these are the people that can and will facilitate change. Since 2015, the Cinema Medium has stepped up to support the Sustainable Development Goals and we are committed in 2018 and beyond to make the World Food Programme famous by using the power and impact of the Cinema Medium. SAWA encourages other mediums to do likewise,” says Cheryl Wannell, CEO of SAWA.
“Three million children die every year of hunger or malnutrition,” said Corinne Woods, Director of Communications, Marketing and Advocacy of the United Nations World Food Programme. “When partners step up like SAWA and their members have, it helps us create a movement and generate support for our work to ensure that every child has the vital food and nutrition they need to not only survive, but thrive.”
“As a longstanding member of SAWA and the leading cinema advertising company in the UAE, we are excited to support such a noble cause and believe this campaign will resonate with cinemagoing audiences,” says Avinash Udeshi, COO of Motivate Val Morgan.
For more information about the ‘Feed Our Future’ advertisement and campaign, and to learn how to get involved in creating a world with Zero Hunger, please visit: www.wfp.org/sharethemeal and https://ocelot-crimson-3jeh.squarespace.com/
Sources: SAWA, “Feed Our Future’ and WFP
