UNILEVER
The Election Project
Elections in Kenya tend to be a very tense period for the large majority of people. The country’s worst-ever ethnic violence was sparked by a presidential election held in 2008. At least 1,300 people died and more than 300,000 fled their homes. The violence started with the murder of over 50 unarmed Kikuyu women and children, some as young as a month old. They were locked in a church and burned alive in Kiambaa village near Eldoret, on New Year's Day.
And so as we approached the elections in 2017, the memory of that dark period in our country’s history resurfaced. The question on many people’s minds was, would we see a return to the kind of violence our country experienced in 2008.
2017 -
Our Role
We helped Unilever find a role during this tense period. Our work on this brief started by first seeking what we call the truth that will transform. Our search for this truth lead us to the identification of what we call the cautious guardian archetype here in Kenya.
These are parents who are completely focused on safeguarding what’s important today, so they can continue working towards building a better life for themselves and family. And so we developed this communication aimed at motivating cautious guardians towards promoting peaceful elections in the country. This is a story of effectiveness through influence.