Human Rights Trade Tips:
Good Campaigns Make Us Move
By Nicole Hayes
Photos that grip us with compassion, disbelief and horror. Powerful words and statistics that punch our guts if we weren’t already awake and cognizant of the realities. Victims’ stories too real to fake—digesting the truth would be easier if their stories were fake. Each of these elements among others is commonly folded into successful media campaigns to garner public participation or support for a particular cause. Whether the support requested is monetary, spreading the word and creating awareness or a call to action, an effective and strategic media campaign can convict consciences, stir emotions and open wallets. Media, if done right, can make us move from apathy and indifference to compassion and, “I need to do something.”
For more than 20 years, McKinney & Associates has been bound by the value conveying meaningful communications to advance human rights and social justice. McKinney’s early projects included work with the anti-apartheid movement and promotion of the new South African government under Nelson Mandela. The firm also managed the communications campaign for the promotion of the first conference by the people of color on environmental justice and a campaign supporting a coalition of civil rights organizations’ push for renewal of the federal Civil Rights Act.
In addition to McKinney & Associates, I’ll present you with a few more human rights campaigns whose messages and missions I support:
1- Be a STAR (Show Tolerance and Respect). An anti-bullying initiative I’m currently associated with, created by concerned celebrities and organization leaders.
2- It Gets Better. The campaign uses creative videos, social media outreach and other tools to inform those being bullied that people care and “yes, it does get better.”
3- Girl Effect. Through a very creative use of imagery and messaging, Girl Effect works to encourage education and health opportunities for girls worldwide to escape poverty to raise the standard of living for her and her family. Human trafficking and early pregnancies of young girls and living in war-ravaged countries are challenges to this dream.
Girl Effect's creative use of images and words can be seen in “The Clock is Ticking” video:
