It has been a horrible year for acceptance and harmony. Christian Aid has joined with agency, Impero, and London rapper, Jords, to bring the world together to help victims of conflict in its Christmas appeal. And the trio have reawakened the appeal of the aid anthem to do that.
The idea came after Christian Aid approached Impero with a brief to help bring hope in an increasingly troubled world and create a cultural brand moment that would resonate with an audience of 18 to 35-year-olds, aka the nation’s changemakers. The campaign recognises the fact that music is a great unifier.
The song and music video, Hold On To Hope, call on the world to unite with hope, love – and help – for communities blighted by conflict, such as civilians in Gaza and Lebanon and refugees who have fled violence in Sudan. All royalties from the single will go to Christian Aid to provide emergency aid to those affected by conflict and support peacebuilding initiatives.
Hold On To Hope is also a nod to a piece of Christian Aid’s history. In 1965, it partnered with Sydney Carter to release the anthem, When I Needed a Neighbour, for the organisation’s 20th anniversary. The song has stood the test of time to become a much-loved standard for school choirs and assemblies.
The new song reimagines that spirit for today, bringing hope to a new generation through Jords, an artist who can build a genuine connection with UK audiences with his fusion of grime, jazz, R&B, and drill, as well as his track record of tackling tough themes in thought-provoking ways.
Impero and Jords collaborated with the North London iNSIGNIA choir to create a chorus that captures the power of hope and unity. The track is available to stream across all major music platforms including Spotify and Apple Music, and is supported with ads across Meta, TikTok and Spotify.
Alastair Mills, joint executive creative director at Impero, noted, “Conflicts are becoming more drawn out and complex, trapping communities in poverty through repeated cycles of violence and exclusion. It’s easy to feel powerless – so helping Christian Aid and Jords harness the power of music and put out a message of hope, raising money for local partners working in areas of conflict is something we’re all immensely proud of at Impero.”
Nick Georgiadis, Christian Aid’s director of fundraising and supporter engagement, stated “Christian Aid was born out of the need to respond to the effects of violence and conflict after World War Two. For nearly 80 years, we have worked through local partners, standing together in solidarity with our most marginalised global neighbours, of all faiths and none.”
Credits
Agency: Impero
Joint Executive Creative Director: Alastair Mills
Creative Team: Alec Carluen, Sophia Tassew
Motion Editor: Precious Salazar
Account Director: Shannon Farmer
Senior Account Manager: Rebecca Duncan
Chief Strategy Officer: Chris Tyas
Head of Strategy: Charlotte Willcocks
Producer & Project Manager: Dot Graham
Media Planning & Buying Agency: Goodstuff
