Amnesty International takes action to prevent and put an end to human rights violations. Like all humanitarian organizations, Amnesty wanted to attract people’s attention to the work it does. Quebecers, like most Westerners, live in a society where they are constantly bombarded with ads. We rarely take the time to stop and reflect. And when we do, it’s usually to give our opinion on social media. This freedom of expression is granted to some, but not all people around the world are so lucky. As such, Amnesty International wanted freedom of expression to be associated with the fight for human rights.

For the second year in a row, Amnesty International joined forces with Human Rights Day to raise Quebecers’ awareness of its work. The task was to increase the organization’s visibility, inspire people to get involved and generate donations. And this had to be achieved without a budget.

With the “Minute of Hope” campaign, Amnesty International encouraged Quebecers to observe a minute of silence for those whose time is running out. People were asked to make a simple gesture: use their Facebook or Twitter status to post a photo of themselves with their head bowed and share a message of hope in support of human rights.

A Facebook app was developed to help people change their profile picture more easily, and it was linked to digital billboards that displayed photos in real time of everyone participating in the #MinuteOfHope.

Despite no budget, the “Minute of Hope” campaign results showed a tremendous commitment to the cause and a strong association with Human Rights Day. Six million impressions were generated using only free media (provided by media partners who wanted to support the cause). The website Amnistie.ca saw a 17% increase in visitors, while the campaign helped generate a 5% increase in donations.