Disorientating Campaign from UK Charity Refugease Puts Travellers in Refugees Shoes

‘Some journeys cost everything. Help refugees avoid this journey by donating the cost of yours’. That’s the simple but sobering message at the heart of a new campaign from UK-based refugee charity Refugease, which contrasts commuters’ own journeys with those of refugees attempting to cross the English Channel.

It launches today, 22nd August – the date which saw the highest number of attempted crossings on record (1295, in 2022) – with a takeover of Tottenham Court Road station, print and cinema activations, a striking mural on the Kent Coast and immersive, binaural radio ads based on real distress calls from boats attempting the perilous journey.

Digital out of home executions – which will appear on all formats across Central London’s Elizabeth line stations – are intended to put travellers in the shoes of refugees, replicating the terrifying sensation of being in a small boat on the Channel. Disorientating by design, the ads aim to make viewers feel as though they’re partially submerged in choppy waters before crashing waves plunge them below the waterline. ‘What if this was the only way to reach your destination?’, reads the accompanying copy.

A series of chilling radio spots recreate actual transcripts of distress calls made from refugees in small boats, such as one received at 2.53am in December 2022. The radio ads have been bought to life by Creative Outpost and use powerful 3D, binaural sound to place the listener first in the boat, and then in and below the water as it capsizes – spilling its nearly 50 occupants into the freezing Channel. The 360-degree sound mix creates a physical sensation of a boat flipping.

Print activations, again shot from below the waterline, highlight the fact that in 7° water in the English Channel, it can take only a minute to drown, as people panic, and shock sets in. A child’s shoe is seen sinking to the bottom of the ocean – a reference to the many children who have lost their lives attempting the journey.

The campaign also features a hard-hitting mural painted directly on the sea wall in Ramsgate, on the Kent Coast. The Orange Iceberg, which uses a mound of orange lifejackets to symbolise the hundreds of migrant lives lost in the Channel, is initially obscured by the sea – only to be fully revealed as the tide recedes, drawing emotional parallels to the power of the sea in pushing tragedy to the shore. It was conceived by Havas London and One Green Bean, and created by street artist Humor (Hugh Whitaker). 

The campaign, which calls on travellers to help refugees avoid this journey by donating the cost of theirs, aims to raise awareness of the plight that many refugees face and encourage donations to Refugease. The UK-based charity specialises in frontline evacuations (transporting the most vulnerable individuals to safer areas, away from conflict zones), humanitarian aid (responding in real time by serving refugees in transit by providing life-saving aid purchased locally to where it is distributed) and self-reliance initiatives (offering child refugees an education they can build a future on, employment opportunities for refugees, and hydroponic farming systems).

It was devised by creative agency Havas London, inspired by a creative 'Look Ahead' competition, launched by Contagious, Global and Transport for London, which invited entrants to submit eye-catching, sharable, experiential OOH campaigns that would take tube passengers on an unforgettable journey. The campaign was highly commended by judges. Cinema placements were donated by Pearl & Dean, the only truly independent cinema advertising contractor in the UK. 

Valentina Osborn, Refugease founder and managing director, says, “Over the past decade, as wars have escalated, neighbouring countries to conflicts are buckling under the pressure of demands to host ever-increasing numbers of families seeking safety, rendering these environments increasingly inhospitable, as resources are scarce and refugee camps crowded. This has forced refugees to make longer and more dangerous journeys, to the UK for example, to reach safety. This has resulted in an increasing number of tragic drownings in the English Channel. Our aim is first to evacuate civilians from where conflicts are at their most precarious, then we do what we can to add to the resources of neighbouring nations (whether food packages, education, employment opportunities, or sustainable farming systems) – doing what we can to help refugees avoid making dangerous journeys further afield."

Nathalie Gordon, creative partner at Havas London adds, “Never again will we complain about an uncomfortable commute. Understanding the full extent of not only what drives people to believe getting on a boat is their only option, but also what one of these journeys is actually like, is beyond comprehension. That’s why we couldn’t just tell the stories, we had to find ways to fully immerse audiences in the moments instead. Refugease exists to help refugees avoid this journey entirely, and by donating, you will be supporting work that could genuinely mean the difference between life and death.”