Thousands of kids are abducted in Pakistan every year. They either get kidnapped, abandoned, sold into sexual trafficking, or even killed. This represents a series epidemy in Pakistan that, sadly, continues to expand. There are charities that are committed to helping the poor souls, but they can’t cut out the evil from the roots. Still, there are more entities that want to give a helping hand to these NGOs and support them in continuing their mission. Berger Paints—the leading manufacturer of decorative, industrial and automotive paints in Pakistan—is one of these players, which, together with BBDO Pakistan/Impact BBDO and artist and activist Samar Minallah Khan and another NGO Roshni Helpline, hopes to find a clever, yet highly-creative way to raise awareness about this issue.
We bet that you’ve come across other creative ways that inform about this problem. We at branding.news featured a couple of these ideas ourselves. There was the “The Unmissables” campaign which showcased the faces of missing people on coffee cups. And then, there were the “Coins of Hope,” which presented a child’s face on a coin to turn the whole world’s attention towards the fact that thousands of kids go missing each year. There are plenty of creative methods to avoid the looming oblivion. The one you are about to discover today is a bit more ingenious.
In Pakistan, there is a unique, worldwide known form of art. In case you haven’t heard about it yet, let us enlighten you: truck art. This popular form of regional decorations utilizes trucks as canvases. The large vehicles get adorned with elaborate floral patterns, fauna, calligraphy, portraits, or other ornamental decors. These huge mobile paintings then wander around the country so that every citizen can catch a glimpse of the art that’s displayed all over the trucks. And this is exactly why they represent the best form to speak about missing kids. They can’t simply go from point A to B without being noticed by the locals. So why not use them to raise awareness about a pressing issue?
Oftentimes, the trucks feature portraits of famous personalities – actors, sportspersons, military chiefs, and politicians. Yet, the vehicles painted by Berger Paints, or the “Truck Art Childfinders“, replaced the famous faces with the ones of missing children. Alongside their portraits, a helpline number was painted so that anyone can notify the authorities if they spot something.
When a kid goes missing in Pakistan, his or her images now get very quickly to remote parts of the country, where traditional media does not reach. Sadly, their story remains unknown to the rest of the world. But thanks to these trucks, which travel across the country, their faces are shown to the whole population. And that is what, ladies and gentlemen, makes this campaign highly effective in media innovation.
Within the first week of the trucks being released, 313 calls have been received on the number from all parts of Pakistan. You’ve done a good job, Berger Paints. Let’s just hope that these phone calls will double, or even triple, and more kids will be saved from being thrown into oblivion.