Citizen Group

Citizen helps USA Network launch “CHARACTERS UNITE” Program

Citizen has helped USA Network launch CHARACTERS UNITE, a multi-media platform committed to combating prejudice and intolerance, and promoting acceptance and understanding. Based on the premise that life is richer when we see beyond stereotypes and appreciate each other for the characters that we are, the new initiative is being led by USA Network with the support of the nation's leading non-profits.

Citizen helped the network develop and produce key components of the initiative including broadcast promos, the website, a Facebook application, a national multimedia pledge drive, the coalition of non-profit partners, and overall campaign strategy.

“CHARACTERS UNITE shows the power of a broadcast network and well-known brand to create positive change – on the air, online, and on the ground,” said Robin Raj, Citizen’s founder and executive creative director. “This is a unique moment in time, and USA Network has made a long-term commitment to provide a national platform to address these relevant issues facing our country. It’s important to take the national spirit of unity many of us are feeling and not only sustain it, but put it to work in our daily lives.”

Eyes on Darfur wins Internet Advertising Competition Award for Best Advocacy Microsite

The Web Marketing Association presented the IAC Award for outstanding achievement in Internet Advertising to Citizen and our work on Amnesty International’s Eyes on Darfur in the Best Advocacy Microsite category. While other award show focus on multiple media forms, the Internet Advertising Competition are one of the few who solely honors excellence in web marketing and communication.

Eyes on Darfur uses the power of commercially available satellite imagery to provide evidence of genocide. Citizen is honored to receive this recognition and to advance the work on behalf of Amnesty International and the people of Darfur. Visit http://www.advertisingcompetition.org/iac for more information.

Among over 8,000 entries from over 60 countries, Amnesty International’s Eyes on Darfur was honored as a top finalist in the 2008 Webby Awards in the Best Advocacy Website Category. The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet. Established in 1996 during the Web's infancy, the Webbys are presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a 550-member body of leading Web experts, business figures, luminaries, visionaries and creative celebrities.

Amnesty International’s Eyes on Darfur uses the power of commercially available satellite imagery to provide evidence of genocide. Citizen is proud to spread the message on behalf of the people of Darfur to create action for real change in the troubled region.

At Citizen, we are here to create change for companies, for organizations and for our planet. So when the opportunity came to work with Sims Group, the largest innovative recycling solutions company in the world, we were tickled green. After reviewing our work with the Natural Resources Defense Council, Sims choose Citizen to spearhead an important new project for the 2008 Major League Baseball All Star Game at Yankee Stadium, where Sims is handling recycling for the week.

The campaign includes event signage, print advertisements, TV spots, post cards and other event materials which will be viewed by thousands of fans at the game and potentially millions at home. Watch for new work for Sims in the coming months.

"Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur," the new global Make Some Noise project, calls attention to the urgent situation in Darfur and neighboring countries where over 300,000 have died, 2.5 million have been displaced from their homes, and millions more people are at risk of starvation, disease, and further attacks. Yoko Ono generously granted rights to John Lennon’s entire solo songbook to Amnesty International, the world’s largest grassroots human rights organization, to use as the centerpiece for this project and to help inspire a new generation of activists.

The CD, "Instant Karma: The Campaign to Save Darfur," on Warner Brothers Records arrived in stores and went live on iTunes June 12th. More than 50 musical artists including U2, Green Day, R.E.M., The Black Eyes Peas, Jack Johnson, and Ben Harper have joined this international effort that combines music, message, and internet activism. Corporate partners include American Express, Borders Books & Music, Eastsport Backpacks and Hard Rock International.

Citizen helped conceive and produce the Instant Karma project as a follow-up to its highly successful “Imagine” campaign which ran in more than 65 countries from 2001-2004. The agency helped develop the strategy, designed the graphic identity and branded elements, and enlisted artists, sponsors, and partners to bring the global campaign to life.

CD & downloads
TV: videos and PSAs
Print: ads, posters, wild-postings
Online: eyesondarfur.org; elements of instantkarma.org
Partnerships: Hard Rock (Green Day Signature T-shirt program); Eastsport Backpacks (retail promotion); iTunes (download program)