More than ever, people’s fundamental rights, including the right to learn, are being attacked through political acts. Thousands of children’s books across the U.S. are being challenged and banned. These books are important, and they teach kids about who they are, empathy, and acceptance. They also cover LGBTQIA+ health, education, racial issues, politics, and religion.
As believers in the power of education, we developed a campaign that showed censoring books is the epitome of evil. To fight these political villains who ban books, we enlisted the most influential storybook villains in history, from the Big Bad Wolf to Long John Silver. We partnered with the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) to protect children’s right to access information.
In the weeks before the election, the iconic storybook villains finally broke the silence against nationwide book bans. In a comprehensive 360º campaign, we leveraged those villains as literary influencers standing up against nationwide book bans.
The campaign kicked off with a captivating film that delves into the villains' distinct perspectives on the issue, encouraging the audience to make informed choices and use their voices to #ChangeTheStory of book censorship.
The groundbreaking film pioneered in the use of the latest ethically sourced AI (Adobe Firefly) that uses artists' licensed work combined with motion capture and traditional animation techniques. Real celebrity actors acted and voiced the characters, making them not only visually striking, but also human and relatable.
Our goal for this campaign was to drive awareness and change with earned media, and that’s exactly what we did. Our paid media partners graciously stepped up and donated a grand total of 2.5MM impressions to generate awareness for this effort. Overall, the total campaign delivered 101% impressions to plan with a video completion rate +15% above the programmatic industry benchmark in swing states. Website traffic increased by 80% during the campaign.
