G8 (Japan) series: Tanabata, Hello Kiddies, Street Fighter II

  • G8 Series, Summer 2008 (Japan)
  • Tanabata festival theme
  • Hello Kiddies (Hello Kitty parody)
  • Group of Eight (Street Fighter II parody)
SUMMARY:

A series of three ads in conjunction with the G8 meetings in Japan (July 2008). The first played off the traditional Tanabata festival and an extensive online campaign that was held online in collaboration with a variety of partners. The second and third parodied the Hello Kitty characters and the well-known video game Street Fighter II, respectively.

PROJECT: G8 (Japan) series: Tanabata, Hello Kiddies, Street Fighter II

DATE: Aug 25, 2008

TAGS:

This ad series was produced in conjunction with the G8 meetings in Japan in July of 2008, with custom illustrations for each.

Tanabata

The opening of the meetings coincided with the beginning of the Tanabata festival, "when people in Japan write their wishes for the year ahead and tie them to bamboo trees." A number of other groups also partnered on this ad (Oxfam, Save the Children, ONE, and GCAP), and they had been collecting virtual "wishes" from their constituents. This ad was both a presentation of those wishes to the leaders of the G8 and a plea that they not cut those wishes down.

We based the illustration on traditional Japanese woodblock prints by Hiroshige and Yoshitoshi. [Originals here and here.] See below for the final text of the ad.

Tanabata Ad Copy


G8 LEADERS:
THE WORLD'S WISHES ARE IN FRONT OF YOU
DON’T CUT THEM DOWN

Today, the G8 summit begins – and so does the Tanabata festival, when people in Japan write their wishes for the year ahead and tie them to bamboo trees. In the last month, more than 1,000,000 citizens from around the world have sent virtual Tanabata wishes to the G8 leaders:

  • More and better aid
  • Education for all
  • Free health service for all and delivery on HIV/AIDS commitments
  • Act now to stop climate catastrophe and support adaptation
  • End the food crisis

It is time to honour the world's wishes. Don't let us down!

Hello, Kiddies

Second in the series of three was a pop culture reference to something from Japan, a parody of "Hello Kitty" to call out the leaders who are blocking progress on the climate change issue.

It ran in full color in all editions of the Financial Times and generated plenty of media buzz, including a mention in the New York Times:

The feelings of advocates were perhaps best summed up in a full-page advertisement in Tuesday's Financial Times placed by Avaaz.Org, a progressive advocacy group. The ad showed the faces of Mr. Fukuda, President Bush and Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada pasted onto the well-known Japanese cartoon characters called Hello Kitty.

"Hello Kiddies," the headline read. "Be a Grown-Up. Set 2020 climate targets now."

Full Text of "Hello Kiddies" Ad Copy

BE A GROWN-UP:
SET 2020 CLIMATE TARGETS NOW

Fukuda, Harper, and Bush are blocking climate emissions targets for 2020 that scientists say must be enacted to prevent a climate catastrophe. Now, over 200,000 citizens of more than 190 nations have signed this message to the G8 leaders:


The world can't wait for urgent action on climate change, and it is your responsibility to take the lead. We urge you to set binding targets to cut greenhouse gases by 2020, in line with what scientists say is needed to avert a climate catastrophe. Rich countries must help developing countries adapt and embrace a clean-energy future, and all must do their fair share to reduce emissions in time. Our common humanity demands nothing less.

Full Text of Avaaz.org Press Release

CAMPAIGNERS BLAST G8 CLIMATE DODGE
"HELLO, KIDDIES" AD KNOCKS HARPER, BUSH, FUKUDA
— 2nd ad in three-day series; print-ready graphics at avaaz.org/ads —

Global advocacy network Avaaz.org responded today to the G8's declaration on climate change:

"This G8 is a wasted opportunity, and it's the work of three irresponsible leaders. Harper sided with Bush and dealt a blow to both the hopes of his own citizens and Canada's tradition of moral leadership in world affairs," said Avaaz Executive Director Ricken Patel. "The G8 was Fukuda's chance for world leadership on climate, and he squandered it. And Bush just walked away from his last chance to redeem a shameful legacy on climate change."

Avaaz.org members in 166 countries sponsored a full-page, full-colour advert today in the Financial Times newspaper shaming Harper, Bush, and Fukuda for their irresponsible stance on 2020 climate targets. The ad, the second in a three-day series featuring imagery drawn from Japanese traditional and pop culture, pasted the faces of the three leaders onto the body of the "Hello Kitty" cartoon character. The headline: "Hello, kiddies. Be a grown-up – set 2020 climate targets now." (For more information, see avaaz.org/ads.)

"The world asked for concrete action on climate change, and the G8 delivered mush," said Ben Wikler, climate campaign director at Avaaz.org. "In the year 2050, Harper will be 91, Bush will be 104 and Fukuda will be 114. Without any mid-term targets, it's hard to take these long-term commitments seriously."

The Financial Times ad included this petition, signed in less than a month by more than 215,000 Avaaz members:

The world can't wait for urgent action on climate change, and it is your responsibility to take the lead. We urge you to set binding targets to cut greenhouse gases by 2020, in line with what scientists say is needed to avert a climate catastrophe. Rich countries must help developing countries adapt and embrace a clean-energy future, and all must do their fair share to reduce emissions in time. Our common humanity demands nothing less.

AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEW

US/Europe – Ricken Patel, Executive Director, ricken@avaaz.org, +1 646 229 5416

Japan – Ben Wikler, Campaign Director, ben@avaaz.org, +81 (0) 80 1892 4273

ABOUT AVAAZ

Avaaz is a global web movement with over 3.3 million members worldwide, working to ensure that the views and values of people everywhere inform global decision-making. (Avaaz means "voice" in many languages.)

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Group of Eight (SFII parody)

The third ad in the G8 series by Avaaz.org parodied Street Fighter II, the video game popular in the early nineties which "featured a roster of eight playable characters that could be selected by the player. Ryu and Ken, the main characters from the original Street Fighter returned along with six new characters from different nationalities." [Wikipedia]

We incorporated the heads of the G8 leaders onto Street Fighter characters and Avaaz developed copy to play off the genre while drawing attention to global poverty: "For millions of the world's poorest, this is not a game." This ad ran worldwide in black and white in the Financial Times. (See below for the full text of the ad and click the images to view the tearsheet and a fullpage view of the ad).

SFII Ad Copy

G8: FIGHTERS NEEDED TO BATTLE POVERTY
POSES OPTIONAL

Today's closing of the G8 summit needs to be more than a photo opportunity. It must must mark a new fighting spirit in humanity's greatest battle: the struggle against extreme poverty.

At a special meeting of the United Nations this September, world leaders will again be measured against their commitments to halve world poverty by 2015. Some have worked to meet their promises -- but many have walked away, hoping the world would forget. Now, the drive to meet the Millennium Development Goals is in jeopardy.

G8 leaders: go home. Get to work. For millions of the world's poorest, this is not a game.