Submitted by OgilvyAgency IPI Score 95/100

Reimagine Zahra's

Content Creation

Ogilvy Dubai turned Reddit's Photoshop battles into a Battle for Good, asking the community to re-imagine a refugee's world to break donor apathy for UNHCR's Winter Assistance appeal.

Case in 60 seconds

After seven years of constant refugee imagery, the public had become de-sensitised, and donor apathy made it extremely difficult for UNHCR to raise funds for its Winter Assistance campaign.

Reddit's community routinely uses its creativity and Photoshop skills to re-imagine images for entertainment, an existing behaviour that could be redirected toward empathy.

Turn a Photoshop battle into a Battle for Good, asking the community to re-imagine a refugee's world and, in doing so, care about refugees again.

Ogilvy Dubai took the campaign to Reddit and invited the community into a one-of-a-kind Photoshop Battle for Good, reframing how refugees are portrayed in the media.

No participation, funds-raised, or reach figures are published on the agency page. Detail is self-reported and not independently verified.

Strategy Breakdown

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

A public numbed by years of distressing refugee imagery, reached through the creative, participatory Reddit community.
Constant exposure to images of derelict refugees had de-sensitised audiences and, the agency argues citing academic research, reduced the aid people are willing to offer.
UNHCR had to overcome donor apathy and re-engage people emotionally in a fundraising environment where conventional appeals were being ignored.
UNHCR sought to reframe the portrayal of refugees from passive victims to people whose futures could be re-imagined for the better.
Redirecting an existing online behaviour, creative Photoshop battles, toward empathy invites active participation rather than passive consumption of more distressing imagery.

Creative & Execution System

Assets & channels

  • Reddit Photoshop Battle for Good
  • Community re-imagining of a refugee's world

Partners

  • Ogilvy (Dubai)

Participation mechanic

  • Reddit users used their Photoshop skills to re-imagine a refugee's world in a battle framed for good rather than entertainment

Creator role

  • Reddit community members created the re-imagined images

Why Ogilvy's strategy worked

  1. 1

    Redirecting an established Reddit behaviour toward a cause turned passive image consumption into active empathy.

  2. 2

    Framing participation as a Battle for Good gave a creative community a reason to engage with a difficult subject.

  3. 3

    Reframing refugee portrayal, rather than adding more distressing imagery, was aimed squarely at breaking donor apathy.

  4. 4

    Using a platform where the target behaviour already existed lowered the barrier to meaningful participation.

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