Cordaid verbaasd over virale hype rond campagne uit 2007

Beste redactie,

Tot verbazing van Cordaid gaat deze week een oude campagne uit 2007 viraal op internet en social media wereldwijd. Deze campagne “Kleingeld, Groot Verschil” dook de afgelopen jaren op internet wel vaker op, maar zo groot als het nu over de wereld gaat, is opmerkelijk.

De campagnefoto’s hebben afgelopen week onbedoeld miljoenen bereikt.

Vorige week waren er een paar mensen uit Frankrijk en Canada die deze foto’s weer via twitter verspreiden. Toen werd het vermeld op de website “the Inspiration Room”, met 17 duizend volgers op twitter. De reclame en marketing site de “Gute Werbung” berichtte erover. En nu heeft de “Hindustan Times” met meer dan 1.74 miljoen volgers het ook opgepikt net als Zoom Radio uit Costa Rica. Het facebook bericht dat dit radiostation plaatste kreeg bijvoorbeeld al 18 duizend likes en is 80 duizend keer gedeeld.

Totaal bereik facebook: 9 miljoen. Totaal bereik twitter:3.5 miljoen

Judith Maat, brandmanager van Cordaid: “De campagne ‘Kleingeld, Groot verschil’ baarde toen al opzien en won de Silver Cannes Lion award. Het was een traditionele campagne met posters door de stad, zoals toen veel gedaan werd. Social media stond nog in de kinderschoenen in Nederland. Dat er nu zo vaak op social media over gesproken wordt, is wel heel opvallend”

Het gaat om deze foto’s:

De campagne

“Kleingeld, Groot Verschil”, is indertijd bedacht om de consument met gedurfde, confronterende foto’s aan het denken te zetten. De mensen op de foto’s poseren met artikelen die wij in Nederland makkelijk kopen (een tas, een biertje) maar met dat zelfde geld kan een groot verschil gemaakt worden in het leven van deze mensen die daar door een ramp getroffen zijn.

“Het dilemma is meteen duidelijke, prachtige mensen uit een door droogte geteisterd gebied, poseren als echt glamour modellen. Als kijker geeft dit je meteen een ongemakkelijk gevoel” aldus Judith Maat

De modellen

Mensen van de Samburu stam uit Noord Kenia stonden model. In die regio hadden en hebben de mensen te maken met periodes van extreme droogte die steeds langer duren. Cordaid werkt daar nog steeds met de lokale bevolking samen aan “droogte cyclus management” zodat ze beter om kunnen gaan met de extreme omstandigheden. Cordaid introduceerde bijvoorbeeld nieuwe vormen van landbouw om de weerbaarheid van de Samburu stam te vergroten.

Noot voor de redactie:

Voor meer informatie (onder ander over de mensen die model stonden) bel Arjanne van der Bijl, 06-42771378 of mail: arjanne.van.der.Bijl@cordaid.nl

2007 CAMPAIGN STILL SUBJECT OF DEBATE3 mar 2015 |

Eight years ago, Cordaid People in Need, the Dutch brand of Cordaid concerning emergency aid, launched the campaign ‘Little Money, Big Difference’ (Kleingeld, Groot Verschil). Even though Cordaid hasn’t actively promoted the campaign for eight years now, the images are still out there online. And they are found from time to time by people and organizations that share them as if the campaign happened last days. The pictures get mixed reactions online. Lots of compliments for the shocking way they tend to confront people with their own consumer behavior and also lots of negative reactions. Since this old campaign is unintended going ‘viral’ again these days we like to explain once more what was the story behind this campaign and how did it come about.

What is the story behind this campaign? Judith Maat from Cordaid People in Need explains. The campaign in 2007 was intended to draw consumers’ attention to the fact that the money we spend when shopping can make a big difference for people living in areas struck by disasters. We worked closely with our trusted partners and the local community in the North of Kenya to work out the ideas and shoot the pictures. Images of beautiful people we know very well posing as fashion models from another world we also know very well. The result was putting the dilemma into each face that looked at the pictures. And yes, the feeling you get from that is not always pleasant.

Judith Maat: “The campaign came about, because we wanted to draw attention to the basic needs of people in areas that have been struck by disaster. That’s what our work, providing emergency aid, is all about. Our main goal was to raise awareness. And following from that, showing people what they can do to help.”

Drought cycle management“We went to the North of Kenya, near Maralal, where Cordaid had been working with local partner organizations for over ten years. The people in that area are suffering from extreme drought spells that are lasting longer and longer. The partner organization introduced us to the Samburu people who live there; a nomadic people related to the Masai”.

Cordaid works on drought cycle management in that area, making the people more resilient against the increasing drought. We help them adjust to new ways of living, new ways of farming and entrepreneurship.

“When we went there for the photo shoot, we really got to know the community, with the help of local partner organizations. When we explained what the idea behind the campaign and its goals were, the people were very positive and cooperative. They had never seen a fashion magazine themselves, so they had no idea know how to pose for the shoot. I helped them by showing them what we had in mind.”

WE CONFRONTED PEOPLE WITH THEIR CONSUMING HABITS.

“The idea of the campaign was to make people think with bold, confronting images of people in need, posing as fashion models holding luxury goods. Billboards were displayed in crowded shopping areas, coasters and cards in public places like bars and restaurants. They attracted people’s attention to the fact that while they’re spending money – for example on a handbag or a glass of beer – can make a huge difference for people in need. So we confronted people with their consuming habits.”

"Cordaid had been working with the very strong and beautiful people in Kenya for years, and we felt they would fit the image we wanted to portray in the campaign. High end fashion and advertising photographer Calle Stoltz from Sweden was attracted to take the pictures, to really give them a glamourous feel. He did the shoot on a voluntary basis.”

Powerful imagesThe results of these three days were very powerful images that speak for themselves. “They are artistic, beautiful and provoking. Bold and ‘in your face’. I think that, combined with the fact that the topic of wealth equality remains current, makes the campaign so strong. Advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi, who created the campaign for us, even won a silver Cannes Lion award, an important international price for creativity, for this campaign. Art and advertising schools use this campaign for educational purposes. It’s nice to know that Saatchi & Saatchi auctioned off the award and donated the money to Cordaid People in Need.”

So even though Cordaid hasn’t actively promoted the campaign for eight years, the images are still out there online. And they are found from time to time by people and organizations that share them. The powerful, bold and confronting pictures keep triggering bloggers and / or organizations that want to raise awareness to share. This shows that wealth equality remains relevant and topical. Even during the economic crisis of the last eight years.

“The pictures are eight years old. Yet it's important to remember we were working with the Samburu communities on drought cycle management before the campaign and have continued ever since."

Read more about our projects in Kenya, and see how you can support us.

About the people in the pictures:

Elisabeth Leonkokwea is the woman posing with the bag and the watch. She’s Samburu and she lives in Wamba, a district in the Samburu province in the North of Kenya. She was

born before 1960, so she is in her 50s. Her husband passed away years ago. Since then, she takes care of her four children who still live at home. Elisabeth has six children, but two of them are married and have their own families.During the drought of 2005, one of the worst droughts this area has seen, she walked for days to find water for her children and animals. She lost almost all her animals. Afterwards, she moved back to Wamba and she’s happy to be around her own people. She’s happy because she now has water nearby. “I can stay here, for the time being,” she says.Elisabeth’s face hides many worries. She’s troubled because very little food is produced. Since the drought, the earth has been so bad, that it can take a while before it can be harvested. Elisabeth is also worried about the Red Vally Fever, a virus that mainly hits cattle. Luckily, her goats have not been infected. Elisabeth does not have donkey anymore either. She hopes that local partner organization CODES can help her with that. If she gets a donkey, she will have the opportunity to walk further and search for water, when Wamba is out of water.  

This is Tirinti Letonginei. She’s a Samburu, a Maasai people from the North of Kenya. Tirinti does not know her own exact age, but our local partner organization has determined that she must have been born around 1968, because of an event that she has described.So Tirinti is in her late 40s. She’s married and mother of nine children. Her oldest daughter is married now and lives with her in-laws. Only one of Tirinti’s children goes to school – Tirinti is very proud of that one. She doesn’t have enough money to send all her children to school.During the big drought of 2005, seven of Tirinti’s donkeys died. They were severely weakened by the drought. Donkeys are the most valuable animals for Tirinti and her people. They are beasts of burden; they carry the water and belongings when the people move to new, water-rich areas.Tirinti doesn’t have any more beasts of burden now and every day, she has to carry the heavy load herself, bringing the water from a remote lake home.