shots Awards 2015: Charity Campaign of the Year

With the winners for November's shots Awards already announced we take time to talk to the gold winners, Andreas Nilsson, Phil Crowe (ECD, The Mill LA), Gustav Johansson (Director -UN World Food Programme 805 Million Names), Zak Razvi (Best New Director, Jordanne) and Stéphane Xiberras (CCO and president, BETC Paris, Canal+: The Stone) about their awards and the secrets behind their creative success.

PSA/Charity Campaign Of The Year: UN World Food Programme 805 Million Names

What was your initial reaction when you received the script and idea for 805 Million Names?

Gustav Johansson [director]: I got a call from Staffan Lamm, art director at Forsman & Bodenfors, about a year before we executed the campaign. He pitched the idea in a couple of minutes and I knew then that it was going to be something special. Not only because Zlatan, who is a national hero in Sweden, was going to be involved but also because the idea was so smart.

Did you immediately know how you’d approach the film?

We knew what was important and what we wanted to communicate. But deciding how to actually do it was a longer, rather dynamic, process. We didn’t know how it was going to end until the night after the actual event, since we needed footage from the match to finish it. We spent the whole night editing in a basement in Paris and it wasn’t until the next day we showed it to Zlatan, Helena (his partner) and the World Food Programme. That was a very special screening – just showing it to them before the press conference. It was the first time we all saw the whole film with its powerful ending.

Had you ever worked on a similar project before?

No. This was not only about making a film but we were also producing and directing the actual event taking place at the Parc des Prince. Also it was Zlatan Ibrahimović who actually went to Forsman & Bodenfors with the idea for the project so we were always working for him and our client the UN World Food Programme. It was a campaign that started years back. Many clients may prefer a long approval process, but working with the United Nations takes approval time to the next level!

Why do you think it struck a chord with the shots jury, and other awards juries across the globe?

There was some kind of magic created in the film when he actually scores in the end that is hard not to be affected by. The simple message of seeing these names and raising awareness of the issue comes through very well – and also works in a personal way I think.

If Ibrahimović hadn’t scored on the day he was covered in tattoos, what would have happened?

The plan was that Zlatan was going to take off his shirt when he scored. If he didn’t score it still would have been good and the backup plan was he’d take off his shirt at half time. But during the planning Zlatan promised he’d score. On the day itself, we were all sitting inside the stadium watching the game: the agency, the World Food Programme, Helena and everybody from [production company] New Land. This was the moment of truth. Now it was just up to him and we couldn’t do anything. After just a few minutes he simply kicked it in, all of his team mates were running toward him and we could see on his face he was only thinking about one thing and it wasn’t the goal that he just scored. When he pulled off his shirt it felt like we made that goal together with him. It might sound superstitious, but it really felt like all the energy we put into the project was put into that goal. People were crying and we could not believe what just happened. I will never forget that feeling.

What does winning gold at the shots Awards mean to you?

The whole meaning of this campaign was to raise awareness of the 805 million people suffering from hunger. Not to raise money – but awareness. Winning this award will hopefully shed more light on the campaign – which makes me happy.

What are you working on next?

My self-esteem.