SCOPE | SEE THE PERSON | 2011
What music revealed was possibility / SCOPE "SEE THE PERSON"
In the darkness, rock music rings out. Then the lights come up on the members of a six-person band, Rudely Interrupted. The music tells you first, before anything else, that five of them are living with disability.
The problem
SCOPE is a non-profit in Victoria, Australia, that supports people with physical and intellectual disabilities. Through a platform called "See the person, not the disability," they wanted to change how young Australians think. When most people meet someone with a disability, that's all they end up seeing. SCOPE wanted people to see the person themselves, and their abilities, instead.
The insight
Leo Burnett Melbourne found a band called Rudely Interrupted. They were living proof of this platform's idea: five of the six band members live with physical or intellectual disabilities. The music video starts with the band playing in total darkness, then the lights rise to reveal the people behind the music. By introducing them through the music first, people could encounter their talent without any preconceptions. That, the campaign argued, is what it really means to see the person.
The idea
Leo Burnett acted as a music promoter: releasing a single, producing a music video, and launching a national tour. Built around the song "Close My Eyes," the video aired on every major music channel in Australia. Rather than working as an ad agency, the firm functioned as a promoter, so that simply getting the band's talent out into the world became the campaign itself.
What happened
The message reached thousands of Australians through major music channels and more than 60 radio stations nationwide, and the live shows sold out across all five states. Online, it reached more than 55,000 users, with many people buying the CD or single, or buying tickets to see the band live. The proceeds were donated to SCOPE to support other people with disabilities. This became the most successful campaign in SCOPE's history, delivering a 70% increase year-on-year in both awareness and fundraising. It also won the Grand Prix for Good at Cannes Lions.
Afterthought
It really drives home how powerful a simple idea can be: let people hear the music first. Rudely Interrupted is a real band, actually playing their instruments, and the whole effort just focused on getting that out to people properly. There's something beautiful in an agency choosing to deliver rather than to narrate. It makes me want to be the kind of person who helps shine a light on someone else's possibility, too.
Awards
- Cannes Lions Grand Prix 2011
