Tag: Social awareness

Manila, Philippines – Global pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim Philippines, alongside the Philippine Alliance of Patient Organizations (PAPO), Dialysis PH, and Kidney Transplant Association of the Philippines, Inc. (KITAP), marked National Kidney Month with a crucial initiative ‘It Starts with U: Get CheCKD’ through an outdoor activation that highlights the impact of lifestyle choices on kidney health.

To give the public a holistic health education experience, Boehringer prepared four Zones – ‘Check Your Choices’ game room, ‘Movement CheCKD’, ‘Health CheCKD’ and ‘Nutrition CheCKD’. 

‘Check Your Choices’ challenged the participants to revisit their lifestyle choices for a healthier life. It featured eight rooms inspired by the 8 Golden Rules of Kidney Health. Meanwhile, the ‘Movement CheCKD’ had an all-day Zumba session with low to high-intensity routines for people of all ages. For quick snacks and refreshments, visitors enjoyed their healthy treats at ‘Nutrition CheCKD’. Lastly, the ‘Health CheCKD’ zone offered free one-on-one consultations with doctors. Once determined to be at risk for CKD, patients were referred to the CKD Screening booth for the blood and urine tests.

For the company, the ‘It Starts with U: Get CheCKD’ initiative underscored the commitment to raise awareness and empower Filipinos in managing their kidney health, ensuring a healthier future for all.

The initiative was launched during an event on June 29, 2024, at Glorietta Activity Center in Makati City. It brought together experts and health leaders, including Dr. Rose Marie Rosete-Liquete, Executive Director, National Kidney and Transplant Institute and Dr. Maaliddin B. Biruar, Nephrologist. They emphasised the importance of early detection through regular screenings and lifestyle adjustments to combat CKD effectively. 

Boehringer also launched their ‘It Starts With You’ educational website, providing accessible information on CKD management and patient stories.

Singapore – To mark International Biodiversity Day, global campaigning network Greenpeace has just dropped a cinematically powerful music video, MoneyTrees, in collaboration with rap artist GreedyBoy, that acts as a wakeup call to end the corporate destruction of nature.

Set to the pulsating beat of GreedyBoy’s specially composed track, Heckler Singapore joined forces as VFX partner on the striking video produced by Studio Birthplace – a Singapore-based creative agency focused exclusively on planet-positive projects.

The ‘MoneyTrees’ music video aims to expose the absurdity of how unregulated banks pour billions in investment into the big corporations that are destroying our planet’s natural habitats.

Led by Heckler Singapore creative director Cody Amos, the VFX team got to work setting the forest on fire. They also created some of the forest environment, including a few CG trees and wood embers, along with compositing the eye-catching fire elements that star heavily in the video.

Opening on a disturbing scene of profit-driven bankers destroying a rainforest with their chainsaws, the visuals then flip to the rainforest and bankers’ boardroom scene being engulfed in a frenzy of embers and flames. 

In portraying the forest destruction caused by bankers and corporations, it was crucial to Greenpeace and the creative team that no trees were harmed during filming. The film location features two giant trees that had recently been floored by a storm, creating a natural ‘destruction’ site.

Charu Menon, managing director and executive producer at Heckler Singapore, said, “I think the work Studio Birthplace are doing is essential – as their motto so succinctly puts it, they truly are telling the earth’s most urgent stories. It was a privilege to come on board as a VFX partner. The visual metaphor of a forest fire raging and almost engulfing a board meeting is chilling and unforgettable. The hyperbolic performances and the music track elevate the film.

Manila, Philippines – The Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) has launched a new campaign alongside DDB Group Philippines in order to combat online sexual exploitation of children (OSAEC) in the Philippines, as well as raising awareness and encouraging action across digital platforms.

At the centre of this campaign are multiple films designed to educate the public on the rampant exploitation of children online under the public noses, and the importance of reporting suspicious activity. These films serve as a rallying cry for individuals, companies, and organizations across all sectors to join the fight against OSAEC.

With social media serving as a pervasive influence in today’s society, the partnership between PCW and DDB Group Philippines aims to leverage platforms to create awareness of how citizens can protect children from online predators and create a safer digital environment for all.

Gil Chua, group chair and CEO at DDB Group Philippines, said, “At DDB, we believe in the power of creativity to move people and the importance of collective action in safeguarding the welfare of our children. As a longtime partner of PCW, we are committed to utilizing our expertise to amplify awareness, encourage reporting, and ultimately, protect the most vulnerable members of our society.”

Meanwhile, Atty. Khay Ann C. Magundayao-Borlado, OIC at PCW, commented, “Seven years partnership with DDB have seen strides in communications and advancement of policies into laws from safe spaces law to empowering the public to protect our children from online abuse. We are proud to partner with DDB in this crucial endeavor to harness the reach and influence of social media, we can amplify our message and mobilize communities to take action. Together, we can stop abuse.”

Singapore – Skincare brand Olay has partnered with Publicis Groupe One Singapore for the launch of its newest campaign that targets the gender disparity in India’s STEM field. 

The campaign is part of the latest instalment of its #STEMTheGap initiative and aims to shed light on the glaring absence of female mentors and role models in India’s STEM workforce.

As part of the campaign, Olay India collaborated with filmmaker Anand Gandhi to launch a digital film that delves into India’s rich history of remarkable women in STEM. The digital film will pay homage to and showcase the inspiring stories of luminaries like Dr. Anandibai Joshi, Kamala Sohonie, Dr. Janaki Ammal, and Kalpana Chawla, among others.

The film will highlight the urgent need for more female role models in STEM today and will also shed light on the societal biases deterring young girls from pursuing STEM careers by emphasising the crucial role of female mentors in the field.

Aside from the digital film, Olay also launched the beta version of a web-based virtual chat mentor that will offer guidance and information to aspiring young girls seeking to enter the world of STEM.

The virtual chat mentor, a supplement to Olay’s mentorship programme,will provide the user with knowledge, resources, and encouragement on their journeys. It was created with the help of successful women in different STEM fields in India, such as Shannon Olsson, founder and global director at Echo Network; Swarna Manjari, communication designer; Dr. Vandana Prasad, community paediatrician and public health professional; and Tarunima Prabhakar, tech and policy research at Tattle Civic Tech and Carnegie India, to name a few.

Olay’s campaign is crafted based on the results of their commissioned survey, which found a huge gap between female STEM graduates and those who actually made it into the workforce in India. A staggering number of its respondents also mentioned the need for female role models in STEM as a way to influence them to pursue their careers.

To encourage future women in STEM, Olay also continues to partner with LEAD, a school EdTech provider in India, to sponsor STEM scholarships for 250+ underprivileged girls. These scholarships aim to empower girls across India by providing them with financial support for STEM education and career development.

Priyali Kamath, senior vice president of skin and personal care at Procter & Gamble (P&G) Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa, explained, “For decades, Procter & Gamble’s legacy skincare brand Olay has maintained a deep understanding of women’s changing needs through science. At Olay, we understand the critical importance of female role models in the STEM field, and our commitment to bridging the gender gap is unparalleled. This year’s theme, centred on the significance of role models and the introduction of mentorship initiatives, highlights our commitment to ensuring every young girl knows that she can be the next leader in her field.”

She added, “Through initiatives like #STEMTheGap and our commitment to gender equality, we are working hard to double the number of women in STEM by 2030 and create a more inclusive and equitable future. We’re proud to recognise and support the next generation of women in STEM who will one day be making history in their respective fields and become role models for young girls in the future.”

Ajay Vikram, chief creative officer for Southeast Asia at Publicis Groupe, also commented, “There are many accomplished women leaders in STEM in India today. Yet, a ‘lack of mentors’ is often cited as a big reason why so few women make a career in STEM. This got us thinking. How do we not just celebrate the achievements of women in STEM but actually be useful—to be there at the very moment when needed, a friend and guide to any girl or woman looking for answers as they stand at the crossroads of choosing their path forward. Technology came in handy as a way to help, but  we can’t wait to see how much more Ai-shu can do to help women find their way to a future of their choosing.”

Singapore – Global brand and customer experience agency VMLY&R is partnering with global environmental organisation The Nature Conservancy (TNC) to enhance the organisation’s social and digital presence to increase awareness, funding and action for its climate-fighting projects across the Asia-Pacific region.

Through the mandate, the agency will be responsible for developing TNC’s new digital platform, which will be the central portal for the charity’s employees, volunteers, donors and other partners, providing crucial information on its strategic plan and 2030 goals, along with detailed information and progress updates on its various projects, both regionally and by country.

VMLY&R will also lead TNC’s social content strategy across the region, performing an in-depth social audit with data analysis to understand current awareness levels and perceptions of TNC. 

The agency will use the insights and analysis to streamline the charity’s ability to reach and positively engage with its key audiences in the region, including potential donors, members and partners, spanning high net worth individuals, corporates and business leaders, governments, academic institutions, other non-governmental organisations (NGOs), media, influencers and more.

Genevieve Jiang, director of marketing and communications for Asia-Pacific at The Nature Conservancy, said, “Taking our digital and social presence to the next level is a crucial part of our organisation’s evolution in the region, allowing us to better connect with our teams and key target audiences to communicate the importance and urgency of the work we do.” 

She added, “This will help us drive funding, collaborations and partnerships – which are essential for creating real impact in APAC. We are delighted to be working with a purpose-driven agency that understands our goals and is dedicated to helping us achieve them.”

Meanwhile, Rhys Taylor, managing director at VMLY&R Singapore, commented, “At VMLY&R we are committed to creating connected brands that can have real influence. TNC has an important mission that affects us all, and we are privileged to be working to help them move the dial to combat the climate crisis.” 

Taylor added, “We believe that seamless, intuitive user experience is fundamental in creating a connected brand, and will be working with TNC to help them meaningfully engage with the right audiences, at the right times, in the right places, in order to maximise their footprint and create a greener, more sustainable future for all.”

Bangkok, Thailand – In a move to raise awareness about long-lost persons in Thailand, non-profit organization The Mirror Foundation has collaborated with creative agency BBDO Bangkok in creating its latest campaign of showing ‘missing persons’ through deepfake technology.

Deepfake technology is generally looked to as synthetic media wherein someone’s face in a video is replaced with that of somebody else’s. Using machine learning and artificial intelligence, a video is manipulated to make it look like the person really appears to be who he or she is. .

The campaign, titled ‘The Missing Person Reporters’ shows the utilization of the persona of famous Thai personalities such as news reporter Tha Pipoauh where faces of the current missing person are edited to their bodies, and to make it show as if the missing person has now come alive. This then makes it possible to create a more alarming call for help, where the missing person is now able to announce himself that he is missing.

Despite the unusual approach of the campaign, The Mirror Foundation hopes that through it, viewers become more willing to help out in reported missing person cases, and be encouraged to be watchful of any possible help that can be given. 

“The Missing Person Reporters project creates a massive impact and impression on the public, beyond any ordinary missing-person report could. It ensures whoever’s watching remembers the missing persons’ faces and looks out for them in public, helping with the search to bring them home,” BBDO Bangkok said in a press statement.

For BBDO Bangkok, it is high time that ‘deepfakes’, known recently to be used in a negative light such as pornography, fake news, and hoaxes, be now used for the good: in this case raising awareness of missing persons.

Founded in 1991, The Mirror Foundation primarily operates for the benefit of hill tribes in Thailand such as promoting human rights, awareness on drug abuse, erosion of culture, and the trafficking of women and children.

The deepfake technology used was created in collaboration with Kunana, who shared that they are now able to perform the animated face swap with only one image of the missing person. As a result, this is the first time that missing person can call out for help by themselves on live TV and social media channels.

“Like many technologies, Deepfake has the potential to be utilized for both good and bad things. This project represents one of many possibilities to use advanced technology for a good cause and we are so glad that we could play a part in bringing this important cause to the forefront in a helpful and innovative way,” said Anuwat Nitipanont, CCO of BBDO Bangkok.

Singapore – Food company Dole has released a new social initiative called #UnstuffedBears to communicate the rising issue of childhood hunger around the world.

The newest initiative is launched in retrospect to the increase of awareness and global movement in addressing the global hunger crisis. The campaign comes to life through the imagery of the teddy bear, a universal childhood icon.

Images will depict five teddy bears, four of them seemingly have full bellies, while one has been unstuffed, signifying someone who is hungry. The campaign goes on to say that “one in five children worldwide may go hungry this Christmas”.

The newest campaign is in line with Dole’s commitment to “The Dole Promise”, which vows to provide access to sustainable nutrition for 1 billion people by 2025.

“According to the UN World Food Programme, the impact of COVID-19 may double the number of people suffering from acute hunger. This exacerbated food insecurity crisis is acutely affecting children around the globe and in our own backyards,” said Pier Luigi Sigismondi, worldwide president at Dole Packaged Foods. 

“Acting on our promise to bring food and support to those in need, as well as raising awareness of this growing crisis, is at the center of this campaign. And this is just one of many steps we are taking to make a change for the better,” said Sigismondi.

The campaign will roll out via online video, display, and social media throughout the holiday season. It has already been launched in Europe and the US, with Asia launching next week. 

In order to live up to the campaign, Dole is rolling out its promotional purchase of select Dole Packaged Foods products on some eComm channels, where profits on these purchases go towards food security charities.