Sun-seeking Canadians are the target of a new campaign by Amnesty International Canada, which wants to educate people about the human rights crisis in Mexico.
Created by Toronto-based Agency59, the campaign centres on the “Last Chance Travel Club,” a microsite that looks like a travel site offering last-minute deals to Mexico. But on a closer look, the site actually showcases the plight of torture victims in the country.
The microsite links to the Amnesty International Canada website, which was reengineered to integrate the campaign. For example, those who click on “Where to Stay” on LastChanceTravelClub.ca are taken to an Amnesty page that lists places where there are reports of torture, such as military bases and police stations.
“We’re not trying to discourage travel at all,” said Brian Howlett, chief creative officer at Agency59. “We just want Canadians to go with a bit more awareness around what’s happening in that country.”
According to Amnesty International, torture is “out of control” in Mexico, with more than 7,000 complaints reported in the last four years, and many other cases that went unreported. In addition, more than 22,000 people are missing or have disappeared.
Aside from raising awareness, Amnesty International’s goal is to get Canadians to take action. At Amensty.ca, visitors are asked to send a message to Mexico’s president Enrique Pena Nieto to address the crisis.
To drive people to the microsite, Amnesty International Canada launched digital banner ads, billboards and in-theatre ads at Cineplex. The ads feature the message, “Think winter is torture? Think Mexico.”
“We knew there was a risk that some people would get pissed off when they see it’s not a legitimate travel club and there’s no flight or hotel discounts,” said Howlett. “But the people who stayed with it… we might convert some of them to actually hear the story.”
The pro bono campaign runs for 12 weeks.
