BBDO Guerrero get behind an Ampatuan massacre awareness campaign for the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines
Two years have passed since 32 media men and 26 civilians were massacred in the town of Ampatuan in Maguindanao province, and the case has had little progress. For the second anniversary of the crime, the National Union of Journalists (NUJP) collaborated with advertising agency BBDO Guerrero and the nation’s most-read newspaper, the Philippine Daily Inquirer to bring to light what happened in Maguindanao on November 23, 2009.
“The quest for justice for the victims of the massacre starts with not forgetting the crime, remembering its horror, and standing together drawing strength from each other’s sense of humanity so that this will not happen again,” said Secretary General Rowena Paraan.
The campaign, entitled REMEMBER, launched today and will run for a week, beginning with pictures of Inquirer columnists having their eyes closed in the Opinion section. A headline reads, “Some people would rather forget what happened in Maguindanao. We’ve closed our eyes to remember.”
Another part of the campaign is a print ad, with a visual of two years’ worth of newspapers stacked up. Next to it are call-outs revealing news headlines of the months that have passed, representing a timeline. And buried at the bottom is the newspaper with the massacre as headline.
The ad signs off with the line, “Two years and still no justice.” and nujp.org. The print ad will be running in Baguio, Bulacan, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro and Davao newspapers.
To support an international campaign against impunity, REMEMBER also includes a social media effort and a radio campaign that defines the word through examples of it.
Three stories were chosen from the 146 media killings in the past 25 years. The events are recounted in a straightforward manner, allowing reality to shock the listener. REMEMBER is being carried in support of the International Day to End Impunity, held on the anniversary of the Ampatuan massacre by a global network of organizations.