Submitted by OgilvyAgency IPI Score 95/100

Breaking Sirens

PR & Communications

Bar Ogilvy interrupted radio, TV and cinema ads in Portugal with real air-raid sirens for Amnesty International, forcing audiences to confront the war in Ukraine. The work won a Cannes Lions Gold.

Case in 60 seconds

Amnesty International needed Portuguese audiences, largely removed from the conflict, to feel the reality of the war in Ukraine and support its response.

A sound can carry meaning that words cannot; the air-raid siren is instantly understood and impossible to ignore.

Interrupt ordinary advertising with the exact sirens heard in Ukraine, then land a single line contrasting Portuguese routine with Ukrainian reality.

Bar Ogilvy interrupted radio, TV and cinema advertising in Portugal with air-raid sirens, followed by 'Here, the routine continues. Not in Ukraine.', under Ogilvy's PR and Influence capability.

No response or reach metrics are published on the source page; the stated outcome is a Cannes Lions Gold. Any further performance claims are not disclosed.

Strategy Breakdown

The primary strategy-learning section — interpretation, not a press-release summary.

Portuguese broadcast, radio and cinema audiences whose daily routine was untouched by the war.
Life continued as normal in Portugal while a war raged in Ukraine, and distance made the crisis easy to tune out.
Awareness advertising for a faraway conflict struggles to cut through; the campaign had to make people feel, not just inform them.
Amnesty International positioned itself as the bridge between Portuguese audiences and the reality Ukrainians were living, and as the channel for support.
Reproducing the intrusion of war into an ordinary moment, the ad break, creates a visceral jolt that abstract messaging cannot.

Creative & Execution System

Assets & channels

  • Radio ad interruptions
  • TV ad interruptions
  • Cinema ad interruptions

Partners

  • Bar Ogilvy (Ogilvy Portugal)

Participation mechanic

  • Audiences experienced the siren interruption during normal ad breaks

Creator role

  • Not disclosed

Why Ogilvy's strategy worked

  1. 1

    Hijacking the familiar ad-break moment turned passive viewers into people who had to react.

  2. 2

    Using the actual sound of the conflict, rather than describing it, created an instant, visceral connection.

  3. 3

    A single, contrasting line focused the emotional jolt into a clear message about complacency.

  4. 4

    Running across radio, TV and cinema gave the device broad, unavoidable presence in Portuguese media.

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