The financial collapse of 2009, sanctions on social welfare payments and a disconnected government had led to the vilification of those at the lower end of the social spectrum. The number of UK food banks increased by 14,000 with an estimated 13.5m officially living in poverty. The months prior to the film’s launch saw a peak in negative social media content on ‘government, politics and welfare’, and 80 official petitions pleaded with the government to change the social welfare system.

Our insight showed that public frustration was growing and awareness of social welfare issues was increasing. Our creative idea was to use the tactics of a political movement to feed our audiences with well-rounded information so that they could see the injustices of a flawed system, engage with the core message of the film and feel empowered to express opinion and drive the debate.

Ahead of the film’s release we engaged political groups to promote the trailer across social media. Combined with advanced screenings for political influencers this ignited the conversation amongst those who cared the most.

We adapted our social media campaign to include a Facebook filter and to ride the wave of interest in real-time, capitalising on current, highly political events.

An integrated partnership with the left-leaning Daily Mirror invited 10,000 readers to free screenings to capture emotional reactions. This was turned into content and amplified locally and nationally.

The film’s protagonist was given his own column to shine a light on the real effects of the current system, and launch day saw a front-page takeover, complete with a graffitied masthead (a Mirror first).

Unprecedented editorial support from the Mirror and their regional titles took on its own momentum, engaging the readership and turning a film launch into a social movement.

The campaign was a box office hit, more than doubling its projected revenue, with media 1.6x more effective than average. The film broadened its audience, extending nationwide beyond London and South East with 46% of ticket sales from northern regions.

10,000 attended the free screenings, and over 16,100 changed their Facebook profile picture in support.

The partnership informed and changed opinions. 1/3 of readers said that the campaign completely changed their opinion of the issues approached in the film.

The content surpassed editorial engagement norms; 76% of readers found the content interesting (vs. norms of 36%), and 41% went on to find out more.

The film and themes it addressed entered public consciousness and became a cultural and political reference point. Labour Party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, raised the film in Parliament, urging PM Theresa May to watch it to understand the ‘institutionalised barbarity’ of the UK’s benefits system.