Unlock Their Potential: The New Message From UNICEF

Instead of victims, UNICEF has reimagined refugees as powerful video game characters and is asking for your help to unlock their potential.

VaynerMedia London challenges viewers to think differently about migrants and see them as fellow human beings with hope, dreams, ambition, and potential.

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The entire campaign was shot in Greece during the lockdown. It tells the real stories of refugee children: Nora, Sama, and Pouya. All three have dreams, and the potential to accomplish them: Nora wants to become a doctor, Sama a writer, and Pouya dreams of becoming a pilot.

The one-minute hero film, titled “Reimagine the world like a gamer,” is shot as though the viewer is a gamer and calls on you to help them reach their goals with the headline: “Your New Mission: Unlock Their Potential.” Filled with visual cues from video games, the spot shows how you can help unlock potential milestones for each child and help them achieve their dreams.

The campaign also includes a mini-game developed with Gameloft.

“We want to pioneer an incredibly important message: that despite their situations, these children have astounding potential and we can help them to achieve it. They have an incredible amount to give to society and their local communities when provided with the right support,” said Codi Trigger, UNICEF global campaign manager.

DuBose Cole, head of strategy at VaynerMedia London, added: “Gaming allows people to see the world in new ways, and that allows people to see the challenges facing migrant and refugee children from a new perspective. In a virtual world, anything is possible, so this campaign aims to inspire us to think about what more we can possibly do to help children. Using the language of gaming allows us to be bold and imaginative to bring this incredibly important cause to life.”