Digital, a new source of truth(s)

Can digital be a source of truth, at a time when fake news proliferates? Like any media, everything depends on the intentions of those who use it. "In a world where information is everywhere and nowhere, digital technology can be a weapon of truth" , supports Jean-Baptiste Burdin.

The Unfiltered History Tour, imagined by the media Vice World news in collaboration with the agency Dentsu Webchutney India, perfectly illustrates this idea that digital can offer a different truth from what we know. Starting from the sad observation that the British Museum in London is exhibiting certain works stolen by the British Empire from its colonies, Dentsu has developed an Instagram filter that allows, thanks to augmented reality, to "scan" 10 of these works and tell their secret story . . Far from the speech of the official guide of the museum, the filter places the artefact in the conditions of its “theft” and relates their history from the point of view of the colonized. A daring informative guerrilla operation that allows you to tell a story from a completely different perspective.

Digital therefore makes it possible to discover another facet of History… Or even to save it in the face of the very real danger of seeing it disappear. The charity association BlueShield Denmark has joined forces with UNESCO and the 3D scanner application Polycam around a project as salutary as it is ambitious: Backup Ukraine . The idea is to safeguard and archive the symbols of Ukraine (monuments, buildings, works of art, etc.) by having them scanned by people on site via their smartphones, in order to protect them indefinitely from the terrible fallout from the war. Ultimately, the goal is to set up a real digital museum, forever safe from bombs.

Always in this desire to highlight a truth that we do not necessarily want to see or hear, the agency Taxi Vancouver imagined in collaboration with the non-profit organization Human Rights Foundation the campaign The Uncomfortable Truth. By copying the codes of an advertising campaign for the collaboration between the Yeezy and Gap brands (a blue puffer jacket attached to a simple QR code), the agency diverted attention to a much more important cause: the situation of the Uyghurs in China. All those who have scanned the QR code presented next to a blue outfit thinking of unearthing a new piece at the heart of the hype have thus found themselves confronted with the difficult reality of workers exploited in labor camps. A punchy diversion that warns about the manufacturing conditions of some of our clothes.

Gamification as a source of engagement

What better medium than video games to actively involve your audience and engage them on a specific subject? “To prove their commitments and their actions, the brands give them concrete experience ,” explains Jean-Baptiste Burdin. "Gaming platforms have become the new experiential stunts" .

In order to alert younger generations of Australians to the dangerous reality of bushfires, NRMA insurance has partnered with agency Thinkerbell Richmond to create a bushfire simulator based on the Minecraft: Climate Warriors video game . The children were able to live the concrete experience of a city threatened by a fire and learn the good reflexes to have to fight against these bush fires.

In the same idea and on the same platform, EDF has created in collaboration with the association of creators Minecraft Endorah a virtual world: Carbon Fighters ! The latter hijacks the codes of Minecraft by removing a key element of the game: coal. Faced with the absence of this resource normally essential to progress, players must then manufacture means of producing low carbon energy, such as solar panels or wind turbines. A simple and impactful way to make players aware of an eco-responsible future by literally having them participate in building it.

Still with the aim of raising awareness of an important cause, Carrefour and Publicis have collaborated on a campaign intended to warn about the harmful relationship that can exist between junk food and gamers: The Healthy Map. On this map specially created for the occasion on the game Fortnite, it is mandatory to eat fruits and vegetables to gain life points! An offbeat and engaging way to shed light on the importance of healthy eating.

Digital campaigns for IRL impacts

If digital makes it possible to raise awareness of a cause among its audience, it can just as well have a concrete impact in real life. “Beyond awareness campaigns, brands use digital to have a real societal impact ,” confirms Jean-Baptiste Burdin.

Combining business with pleasure is the goal of the Chillboards campaign launched by the Coors Light beer brand in association with the DDB Chicago agency. In order to combat the ever stronger and more frequent heat waves in Miami and to alert public opinion to global warming, Coors Light has an idea as simple as it is brilliant. Cover black roofs, which are particularly sensitive to heat, with advertising messages painted white, with an equally simple mantra: to refresh the inhabitants of these buildings as much as with one of their beers!

The Decathlon brand also has a very strong vision: to make sport accessible to everyone. To illustrate this philosophy in a concrete way, she created in collaboration with the agency BBDO the operation The Breakaway: the first virtual bicycle race for prisoners. On the Zwift virtual cycling platform, 6 inmates from Oudenaarde prison were able to face thousands of competitors from all over the world, offering themselves a very real breath of fresh air in their daily prison life.

The Bread Exam campaign also takes up this principle of digital awareness to raise awareness about the situation of Lebanese women affected by breast cancer, a fault of the tradition that makes this disease a taboo. In partnership with the Lebanese Breast Cancer Foundation, AUBMC – American University of Beirut Medical Center and Spinneys supermarkets – Lebanon, the McCANN Paris agency therefore imagined, within the framework of Pink October, the distribution of a video of a recipe for bread that allows women in Lebanon to freely teach the gestures of breast self-examination.

As you will have understood, the year 2022 has been rich in news in the digital world, which continues to develop and diversify very quickly. Although different (and even sometimes complementary), all these trends come together around a common point: the importance of offering a memorable digital experience to your audience to engage them effectively and sustainably. At J'ai un pote dans la com, we can't wait to see what the digital agencies have in store for us for this year 2023!