- A creative concept including a name, theme, and campaign identity solidified our project around the theme of empathy
- Short video series produced entirely in-house told the stories of deserving local nonprofits
- Website and digital campaign showcased the series and promoted the organizations featured
Big picture
For our 2018 annual project, our agency created Empathy Craves Imagination: a series of video shorts that featured local nonprofits. The campaign helped the organizations see a measurable increase in exposure—and underscored the power of empathy in storytelling.
“We have to be compassionate enough to say, ‘I know you never thought of it this way. I used to never think of it this way, but now that I know, gosh. Don’t you think we should do something about that?'"
- Gail Stern, Co-founder, Catharsis Productions
Putting the pieces together
After a year marked by a tense cultural and political climate, we centered our annual project on our word of the year, "empathy." The goal of the project was to explore how applying imagination to empathy creates a strong foundation for powerful Worldbuilding, which led to a name for the campaign: Empathy Craves Imagination.
We were also curious: what organizations use empathy as an integral part of what they do? And which would benefit most from this kind of exposure?
Knowing that video can be a powerful but cost-intensive medium—and with the capabilities in-house to handle production from script to shoot to final edit—we decided to shoot a series of short interviews spotlighting nonprofits making a difference in distinct ways.
Our team suggested numerous nonprofits to highlight, many of which they shared a personal connection, before settling on seven whose causes included preventing newborn abandonment and supporting incarcerated women.
Setting up a studio at our office, the on-camera interviews uncovered moving stories about the way these groups were affecting change. They also revealed a common thread amongst these diverse causes: that empathy fueled by imagination can make the world a more compassionate, understanding, and better place.
A new world built on empathy
The seven nonprofits all saw a measurable uptick in exposure during the campaign. Anecdotally, the increased exposure led to important connections being made for the organizations, which furthered their missions.
For our agency, the project was further proof that successful communication requires empathy and understanding. Whether for a B2B client or a nonprofit, Worldbuilding is all about hearing what audiences want and empathizing with how they feel—then responding imaginatively to inspire them to action.
