We decided to break the taboo and change the conversation around people with disabilities. Thru an online casting, we invited people with different kind of disabilities to play the roles of firefighters - a job, that requires more than average physical fitness - to show that they are aware of their limitations but are still able to work in many other professions.
Execution
We started with YouTube. The video quickly went viral gaining attention of all the biggest Internet news services. That gave TV stations the green light. 5/5 main Polish channels not only aired our PSA but also prepared extensive reports on the problem. Also in the evening news. Finnally, National Polish Television (TVP) asked for a copy and aired the ad for seweral weeks on all their channels.
- 9 million media impressions (Internet+TV),
- Former and present Secretary of State from the Ministry of Work statements on tv with promise of deep investigation.
- A petition was created, to change legal provisions in Polish law from "Unable to work" to "Able to work with limitations" and is still collecting votes.
- The Polish Social Insurance Institution decided to run the video in all of their offices - which are visited daily by more than 20,000 people - including employers.
The Situation
PR was the only channel of distribution for our campaign. If not for the PR, the important message would never meet the employers eyes. The NGO we worked for, could not afford a mass media campaign.
The Strategy
Our target group was not only the entrepreneurs (potential employers) but also the whole society (potential co-workers), because according to research 60% of people in Poland have never had closer contact with a person with disability. The Ad was actually the first time they've seen them joking around and speaking for themselves with pride.
Despite zero media budget we were aiming for a nation-wide reach that only TV in Poland can achieve. We knew, that tv stations will need some kind of social acceptance of the unprecedented form of the video.