Who: Amnesty International, with Cossette for strategy and creative; Lamajeure for sound; Cossette Media for media.
What: "Writing Lights a Way Out," the annual campaign supporting the human rights organization's Write For Rights letter-writing campaign, now in its 22nd year. This is the 11th time that Amnesty International and Cossette have worked on the campaign.
What: "Writing Lights a Way Out," the annual campaign supporting the human rights organization's Write For Rights letter-writing campaign, now in its 22nd year. This is the 11th time that Amnesty International and Cossette have worked on the campaign.
When & Where: The campaign is in market now, running across radio, online, and out-of-home until the end of the month.
Why: The "Write for Rights" campaign is one of Amnesty International's tentpole programs, asking people in more than 200 countries to write letters in support of those who have been harassed, threatened or imprisoned for speaking out. According to France-Isabelle Langlois, executive director of the organization's French-Canadian chapter, 75% of the people Amnesty International has supported in previous campaigns were freed.
How: For this year's campaign, Cossette and Amnesty enlisted Karolis Strautniekas to create three illustrations inspired by victims of human rights abuses from around the world: Ahmed Mansoor Al Shehhi, who is imprisoned in the United Arab Emirates for defending human rights; Canada's Wet’suwet’en First Nation, which is opposing a gas pipeline project on its territory, and Polish activist Justyna Wydrzyńska, who was convicted for defending the right to safe abortions.
The illustrations feature a figure sitting in a dark and hostile environment holding a letter. The letter is shown radiating a beam of light that takes the shape of "Write for Rights'" key visual, a pencil. It's accompanied by the message "Letters are beacons of hope." The pencil, said Cossette, "continues to be a symbol of the campaign and a reminder that writing can literally save lives."
A radio ad features a man listing basic rights such as freedom, non-discrimination, education, and the right to freely practice religion. As he continues to list these rights, his voice is cut off earlier and earlier, until he's barely able to get the first word out. "If they aren't protected, human rights can disappear," says a voiceover, before directing listeners to the Amnesty.ca website to write letters of solidarity.
And we quote: "It’s definitely a challenge to address such grim topics without lapsing into sensationalism and, most importantly, in a way that opens a door to hope. Through illustration, we were able to tackle these realities with sensitivity, while preserving the impact and clarity of the message." — François-Julien Rainville, associate creative director, Cossette
[audio mp3="https://the-message.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/EN-Cossettte_Amnistie_RightsCanDisappear_REV_30EN_RAD.mp3"][/audio]
