Online campaign against racism
With the online campaign #UncomfortableRealities, the University of Hamburg takes a clear stand against racism and advocates for diversity and tolerance.
CLIENT
University of Hamburg, Department of International Affairs
YEAR
2024
CATEGORY
Campaign,
Communication
MITWIRKENDE
SERVICES
Concept development
Creative & Art Direction
Visual identity
Key Visual
Web Design
Editorial & Copywriting
INFO
In early 2024, the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) provided funding for universities actively working against racism. PIASTA, the University of Hamburg's Department for International Affairs, responded to this call and received a budget to organize and implement Awareness Weeks in October 2024, aimed at promoting a culture of welcome, tolerance, and diversity.
These weeks will be promoted through a social media campaign that not only advertises the events but also addresses the question: "What can I, as an individual, do?"
STARTING POINT
We assume that many students at the university strongly reject racism. However, even they often perpetuate it subtly and unconsciously, as we all grew up in a racially socialized society.
The campaign addresses this by aiming to make racist structures visible and encouraging students to critically engage with racism and reflect on how they may also perpetuate racist structures.
Because only when we recognize and understand this can we, as individuals, stop perpetuating racism.
IDEA
The #UncomfortableRealities campaign deliberately uses a provocative and emotional approach, inspired by Tupoka Ogette's Exit Racism. The goal is to encourage students to question themselves and recognize the often invisible racist structures in our society. The statements prompt reflection while providing practical steps to break these structures.
KEY-VISUAL
The central key visual depicts the emotional reactions of individuals critically engaging with their own stance on racism. Emotions such as shame, anger, and acknowledgment are the focus. These visual representations of speech and thought bubbles emphasize the process of self-reflection. The key visual highlights: Only by recognizing and understanding racism can we actively take action to stop it.
IMPLEMENTATION
The campaign combines provocative social media posts with an informative landing page on the University of Hamburg's website. The posts serve as a trigger to encourage deeper reflection among students, while the landing page provides additional information, studies, a glossary, and concrete action steps.
PROCESS
The concept of the campaign was developed in close collaboration with Christoph Hassler, an experienced diversity and inclusion consultant, as well as international students and students affected by racism. This collaboration was crucial to ensure the perspectives were realistic and relevant to students. To ensure that the content was sensitive and correctly formulated, it was reviewed by Kohero as part of a sensitivity reading.
