The 3rd Richest Nation announces that it has less childhood violence, accessible affordable healthcare for all, safe classrooms driving an education and earning boom, safety & accessibility causing a digital economy boom…and a $7 trillion GDP.
…the nation is fictional. But it has grabbed attention. The final words in the series of “news reports” note that while the country is not real, its wealth could be.
The campaign by cummins&partners and The Brave Movement, a global network of advocates and survivors, is the organisation’s largest-ever push to tackle violence against children and a major shift in the movement to tackle violence against children. By reframing the issue in financial terms that G20 leaders are primed to understand and act upon, it positions the issue as an economic emergency rather than a moral imperative.
$7 trillion matches the annual economic cost of childhood violence.
The campaign kicks off with a 60-second hero film featuring a special address from the fictional country’s President to fellow G20 leaders. Running across TV, ambient outdoor, and online, her speech is a confident declaration of victory, explaining that eradicating childhood violence has made them the third richest country on Earth. However, as the speech unfolds, the film starts to glitch as we notice that items from the President’s office are being removed. At first, it’s subtle, but as items including a pen, a flag, and a portrait all disappear hauntingly one by one, a growing sense of unease jars with her positive message.
Finally, the President herself abruptly glitches out of existence as the film lands its climactic message: “This nation isn’t real. Its wealth could be.”
The film was created using an innovative blend of live action and VFX. The President is an AI-generated amalgamation of 14 survivors of childhood violence who have agreed to lend their likeness to the project and guided its message.
The full 3RN campaign includes a large ecosystem of innovative and interactive hallmarks familiar to genuine G20 countries:
● Embassy Network – much like any G20 nation, the 3rd Richest Nation has built a network of ambassadors around the world. Their task is to share the campaign’s message with thought leaders and policymakers both online and at key G20-affiliated events. A blend of survivors and advocates, all ambassadors have been equipped with a bespoke embassy kit to help them spread the campaign’s message, complete with the country’s flag, currency (which double as informational flyers), passports (peppered with key facts to support their advocacy), and pins.
● 3RN News – the nation’s dedicated news channel, which delivers daily news stories across social media, reporting ‘live’ from the imaginary country. With a unifying focus on the economic benefit of eradicating childhood violence, each news story dives into a specific shift that led to the 3rd Richest Nation’s financial success, from education policy to legal reform.
● Tourism Campaign – in the days surrounding the G20, the campaign will drive awareness with a large-scale OOH and print tourism campaign echoing the style of golden-age travel posters, evoking a utopian destination where children are safe and the economy thrives.
● Central London Activation – the 3rd Richest Nation’s President will address the world directly at The Outernet, the UK’s most visited cultural attraction. With an annual footfall of more than 100 million, this offers the 3RN a truly global platform to show the world what we’re missing.
● The Digital Citizen Hub – every touchpoint across the campaign guides viewers to a dedicated website, 3RN.org, where they can become honorary citizens of the 3rd Richest Nation by pledging actions to end childhood violence.
The campaign covers social, OOH, TV, experiential, and digital display in key markets – USA, UK, Kenya, Switzerland, Australia, Canada, Ireland, Germany, Nepal, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Lesotho, South Africa, Uganda, Côte d’Ivoire, Portugal, Argentina and France.
3RN builds on research conducted by a coalition of child protection agencies, which found that violence against children costs the world economy $7 trillion per year in expenditure and lost revenue. This includes increased costs to public services (e.g. law enforcement, social services, healthcare), combined with the reality of unearned income for survivors of childhood violence due to poor educational outcomes and lower productivity. Meanwhile, prevention programs have delivered a return on investment of up to $21 per $1 spent.
The campaign positions ending childhood violence as a powerful economic opportunity, calling on G20 leaders to prioritise prevention in their policy agendas and emphasises the significant economic gains, from stronger healthcare and education systems to increased GDP and more productive workforces, that come with protecting children from violence.
Louis Lunts, partner and managing director at cummins&partnersNYC, stated, “The $7 trillion cost of childhood violence is one of those rare insights that gets the mind racing with big ideas. It’s been a joy and a privilege to work with The Brave Movement to bring those ideas to life. The 3rd Richest Nation may be fictional, but we expect it to become a very real force for change.”
Dr Daniela Ligiero, CEO of Together for Girls and The Brave Movement founder, added, “As survivors, we know the impact of failing to protect children. Eradicating childhood violence isn’t just a moral imperative; it’s also one of the greatest economic opportunities of our time. Through our innovative 3rd Richest Nation campaign, we are telling world leaders, now is the time to invest in your children. Now is the time to ensure they can fulfil their potential. Now is the time to keep them all safe.”
The Brave Movement, an initiative of Together for Girls, is a global survivor-led advocacy movement focused on ending all forms of childhood sexual violence. Together for Girls is a global partnership working to end sexual violence against children and adolescents.
Credits:
Client: Together for Girls & The Brave Movement
Chief Executive Officer & President: Daniela Ligiero
Senior Director of Communications: Marek Pruszewicz
Senior Director, Global Campaigns: Emily Laurie Deputy
Director of Communications: Alex Nowak
Head of Region, Africa: Kanga Rasi
Senior Manager, Data Evidence and Policy: Ashleigh Howard
Campaign Manager: Ngunan Ioron Aloho
Digital Communications Advisor: Roz Pen
Communications Officer: Lucía Castuera
Creative Agency: cummins&partners
Chief Creative Officer: Sean Cummins
Partner: Louis Lunts
Associate Creative Director: Hali Pollard
Production Lead: Madeleine Burrell
Content Lead: Julian Breheny
Senior Designer: Joel Orlandini
Group Account Director: Charissa Martin
Account Executive: Isabella Coco
Media: the7stars
Public Relations: Ladbury Communications
Production Company: Reframe the World
Director: Matt Palmer
Executive Producer: Michael Paey
Producer: Adam Thayer
Production Assistant, Set: Ben Asciutto
Camera: Michael Enos
1st AC: Bryan Heffernan
VFX Supervisor & Post Producer: Jonathan Kimmel
Edit & Colour: Zev Schmitz
VFX & AI: Jordan Adler
Sound Mix: Ryan Pribyl
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