“You have the power to change the world.”
So writes the United Nations, an organization that’s busy battling the ongoing coronavirus crisis on a number of important fronts. Among the many key battlegrounds is the internet – and they’re turning to social media influencers for help. Yes, one of the world’s most reputable and prestigious organizations is taking its cues from the influencer marketing playbook, leveraging this powerful tool to spread reliable, useful and uplifting information.
For the first time, the UN issued an open creative brief – encouraging any and all content creators to help spread any number of their key messages. They’re open to a “multitude of creative solutions” using “any creative medium”, with the stated goal of reaching as many different communities and audiences as possible.
“We are in an unprecedented situation, and the normal rules no longer apply. We cannot resort to the usual tools in such unusual times,” said UN secretary general António Guterres in an issued statement. “The creativity of the response must match the unique nature of the crisis—and the magnitude of the response must match its scale.”
Already the UN has seen what they’ve called an “overwhelming response” to the brief, which went live on March 26th.
While the UN is indeed encouraging creators to include key messages around health and wellness, one of the 6 major topics of focus they’ve identified is the emotional impact of this crisis. In their creative brief, they stress the need for unity and the power that content has in bringing us together. Specifically, they’ve tasked creators with “resetting the narrative’ by “highlighting the need to work together to propagate global solidarity and build a kindness contagion.”
The UN’s call for content comes at a time when the conversation around key topics like #coronavirus and #stayhome are at an all-time high. Since the coronavirus began rapidly spreading in the US and Europe in late-February, we’ve witnessed a growing online movement of global solidarity, and they’re tapping into this wave at precisely the right moment. We’ve already seen amazing responses from creators working in every kind of niche and across all platforms, and can’t wait to see the volume of content that arises out of this first-of-a-kind global call for creative action.
@dudewithsign in collaboration with the World Health Organization
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Want more up-to-date resources on influencer marketing and COVID-19?
Visit our new influencer marketing tracker that’s designed to help marketers stay on top of the current conversation around coronavirus, and provide resources on how to navigate influencer marketing during this unprecedented situation.
Our webpage tracks live data from different platforms such as Twitter and Instagram to provide real-time insights into how the social media sphere is responding to COVID-19.
