The ‘React For Real’ campaign uses data collected from the charity’s social media channels to show the potential life-saving impact of a dollar being donated for every social media reaction. Creative agency, Wunderman Thompson, devised the campaign inspired by the well known phrase ‘If I had a dollar for every time…’

Ewan Watson, head of campaigns, media relations, and content at the ICRC says, “Millions of people turned to social media to show their solidarity and support to the Afghan people. We wanted to show how powerful that collective concern could be on the lives of Afghans if we had a dollar for every social media post.”

To highlight the storytelling element of this campaign, it focused on one country and the communities in need of support. The ICRC has supported the people of Afghanistan for 30 years and currently partners with the Afghan Red Crescent Society.

Wunderman Thompson conducted an in-depth analysis of social media reactions. It aligned the creative with real-time needs of people in Afghanistan, to ensure it provided an accurate and authentic story. The data was collected anonymously and highlighted the emojis and hashtags that were most used in response to the crisis.

Faysal Abdul Malak, managing director of Wunderman Thompson UAE says, “The urgency of the cause meant that the film had to be created in record-time and with a bare minimum budget. However, despite the low production costs, the team used powerful imagery and statements to make a lasting impression on the viewer.”

The global campaign was a collaborative effort across teams in Sydney, Seattle, London, and New York. The film was launched in 17 countries in three languages.

ICRC React for Real film, 2021 – Director’s Cut from Wunderman Thompson on Vimeo.