Project Literacy is a global campaign founded and convened by Pearson, the FTSE 100 publishing company, dedicated to building partnerships and driving action that puts reading and writing within everyone’s reach. Briefed to create a campaign that would raise awareness of the scale, severity and consequences of illiteracy, to push illiteracy higher on the political agenda, and for the United Nations to make illiteracy a target within the sustainable development goals and that by 2030 no child will be born at risk of illiteracy.
The Idea
The Film
A 90 second film reworks the 1948 hit ‘A you’re Adorable’ with a harrowing narrative, clashing the emotions you remember from learning the ABCs with some of the world’s gravest issues. Each letter is represented with hand crafted sculptures by Wilfred Wood, known for his satirical work on Spitting Image, which have each been turned into three dimensional CGI models.
Online
We built an interactive website that houses the entire project. Users can explore the 26 issues in detail and show their support by signing the Project Literacy petition, created on behalf of the 757 million illiterate people in the world. Upon doing so, users can create a GIF of their name in the ‘Alphabet of Illiteracy’ letters to be shared on social media.
The Results
1 Cannes Lions Health Grand Prix in 2016.
The film has more than 12.8 million views, and we are now up to 17,000 followers on Twitter with over 27.3 million social impressions since launch. The petition has been signed over 14,000 times, and Project Literacy has been asked to join the UNESCO Global Alliance for Literacy, the panel advising on global illiteracy.
