Best "Reporters Without Borders" Ads.
To honor freedom of the press, this article is free.
Democracy dies in darkness? Light's fading out, worldwide.
I have a journalism B.A., and was a small paper reporter for five years, post-graduation ($5 an hour plus 25¢ a mile!), before going to the dark side, becoming an ad copywriter. Yeah, I’m that old.
Reporters Without Borders (“RWB”, going forward) is a Paris-based nonprofit that fights for freedom of the press worldwide. And agencies worldwide have gladly produced pro-bono work to help the organization, and of course to win ad awards.
Most of the these ads are via French ad agencies.
1. UAE
This cheeky campaign via the freedom of the press advocates—Tagged "Censorship tells the wrong story”—won a Silver in the Press category at the 2011 Epica Awards, "Europe's premier creative awards”. Let's look at the ads:
David Cameron was UK prime minister from 2010-2016. He was called out by the press often. I’m sure he wanted to be flipping a lot of fingers out the window of Number 10. Vlad’s got a lot of stress lately, gotta relieve it somehow. Plus, looking at his sleazy ad campaign history, it's not hard (heh) to imagine Pootie-Poot pulling pud in public. Ad agency: O&M, Dubai.
2. FRANCE
Direct translation: “Without freedom of information, there can be no countervailing power”. Above, wedge-headed Kim Jong Un and Bashar al-Assad flip Acromegaly-afflicted fingers (Assad’s hand is like twice as big as his head) at RWB. Below, Xi Jinping and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (who’s still trying to get a third term as president) would like RWB to cram it up their asses. Ad agency: BETC, Paris.
3. SYRIA
Spot is 12 years old, but is very relevant to current events. RWB fake-used Siri to draw attention to the censorship of news out of Syria under Bashar al-Assad. It's a good, cheap idea—which is always important for non-profits. Ad agency: JWT.
4. 5. FRANCE
BAN JOURNALISM HUNTING. Yikes, yes, that’s Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl’s head on a plaque. I was thinking at the time that RWB should’ve included a few more journalist’ heads. Pearl wasn’t the first. Note the duckling on the end table. Hopefully Pearl's French widow Mariane never saw this. Ad agency: JWT, Paris.
BELOW: That is indeed the official portrait of the French president, altered slightly by Saatchi & Saatchi Paris on behalf of the freedom of press advocates. The ad announced that France came in at #44 in the 2010 World Press Freedom Index rankings. Vive la digital manipulation!
6. BELGIUM
SOME COUNTRIES TREAT JOURNALISTS LIKE YOU TREAT A PEN/PENCIL. COPY: Help us free imprisoned journalists, make a donation. Very nice art direction (especially the red pen), but I think the ads probably helped writing utensil gnawers more than detained reporters. Ad agency: Publicis, Belgium.
7. FRANCE
INK SHOULD FLOW WHEN BLOOD FLOWS. COPY: Nothing and no one should prevent journalists reporting from combat zones. You see it, you get it. Probably a real photo, but I can’t find the original. Ad agency: Saatchi & Saatchi, Paris.
8. FRANCE
Only a free press can hurt them. Some nifty art direction here: crumpled newsprint dictators. Left: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Right: Kim Jong Il, daddy of Kim Jong Un. Ad agency: Saatchi & Saatchi, Paris.
9. FRANCE
This is essentially a bunch of print ad moments turned into a commercial. It is a very effective 45 seconds with the perfect payoff. Ad agency: BETC, Paris.