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2020 One Show - Social Media

Go Back To Africa

Agency FCB/SIX / Toronto

Client Black & Abroad
BACK TO RESULTS

Annual ID

OS_SM20_010G

About the Work

A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE: Between 1525 and 1866, more than 12.5 million African people were taken from their communities, loaded onto ships, brought to the West, and forced into slavery. Today, systems of oppression endure – including racialized language such as the “n word” and the slur, “Go back to Africa,” which is used every three minutes on social platforms alone. Black & Abroad is an American travel brand serving members of the Black community. In efforts to merchandize African destinations to its target, it has found two key barriers: 1. Widespread misperceptions of Africa as a dangerous, undesirable destination. 2. Lack of representation of Black travelers in commercial travel imagery. INSIGHT: When someone with racist intent says “Go back to Africa,” it’s hurtful. But if you could change the context, you could also change the meaning. IDEA: A pan-African tourism campaign that turns the racial slur "Go Back To Africa" into an empowering call to action. SOCIAL The entire campaign either unfolds on or is powered by social media. Starting with a realtime activation on Twitter (defusing hate where it happens), targeting Black millennials with redacted creative on Twitter, then harnessing millions of images posted across social media to locate and deploy an alternative narrative about travel.