Overwhelmed by a bombardment of bad news, the public had reached saturation point; they had stopped seeing people and saw only a problem. They knew the refugee crisis raged on, but they no longer had the interest or capacity to care.

Through extensive qualitative and quantitative research we identified the ‘care reflex’ – even if people can switch off from a remote problem, there is an almost primal instinct to help someone in trouble if they are physically or emotionally connected. We knew that if we could create that connection, we could re-ignite compassion.

So we identified something that everyone can relate to – the innocence of childhood. Every parent wants to see their child grow up free from danger. So we decided to take a look at the world through the eyes of Nour, an 8-year-old Syrian refugee, delivering a story no one could turn away from.

Using real world footage, illustrations, both professional and drawn by Nour and her friends, plus documentary-style photography, we created a short film of Nour’s life, her family and her routine. We explained how the ESSN card helped to bring a sense of stability and normalcy to her otherwise chaotic life by being able to buy familiar Syrian food, or even a football.

Nour’s Story was translated into seven languages and cut into several formats for use online and through social media. Each film was geographically amplified through targeted social media advertising and media outreach.

Once we captured the audience’s attention, we directed them to a digital hub (www.essncard.com) to learn more about the efforts of the EU to support refugees.

The campiagn kicked off in January 2017, with film production launching at the end of March. Nour’s Story was released in June and continued to roll out across the summer.

• 43 Articles Secured in EU Media – Exceeding all Messaging Metrics

• 53 Million Organic Online Impressions Generated

• 9 Million Views of Nour’s Story short film

• 28 000 ESSN Digital Hub Visits

• 61 Million Paid Media Impressions

• 25 000 Social Engagements – Double the Benchmark

• 98% Positive Sentiment Across All Channels – Previous campaigns only received a 40% favourable sentiment.

We also helped outline the important work the ESSN is doing in Turkey without wading into political territory. But most importantly, we turned public apathy into public empathy, influencing EU member countries to vote. not only to continue but to extend the funding programme and resources by 30%, reaching 1.3 million refugees by March 2018 and helping an additional 300,000 refugee families.

By looking through the eyes of a child, we opened the eyes of the world.