The BrandAid Project is an organisation that helps artisans in 3rd world countries create prosperity - for themselves and their impoverished communities - by showcasing and selling their incredible work online.We created a direct mail campaign for the BrandAid Project soliciting the help of advertising agencies, their clients and sponsors.

We sent one-of-a-kind works of art (created by BrandAid artisans from around the world) to the presidents and creative directors of targeted ad agencies.

Each artisan object was selected based on fit with one of the agency’s top clients.Attached to these works of art was a recruitment DVD that challenged agencies to help.

The DVD pointed out that it’s fairly easy to build brands for big, multinational clients but we wondered if the agencies were good enough to build brands for small, impoverished artisan communities.We used the television ads the agencies had created for their own clients to make our point.

The response was phenomenal.Several agencies stepped up and joined the cause, creating distinct and memorable brands for BrandAid Project artisan groups.Agencies created wordmarks, viral ads, webisodes and microsites.Vanity Fair even hosted an event in New York to launch a couple of the new BrandAid Artisan brands.Celebrities like Diane Lane and Josh Brolin were so moved by the cause, they volunteered to become BrandAid ambassadors.Not only was the BrandAid client thrilled by the response, corporate partners like Microsoft, Scotia Band, and even the Clinton Foundation have expressed interest in getting actively involved in the BrandAid Project.The latest news?

Pottery Barn is currently looking at carrying the work of BrandAid artisans in their stores.