MTV
White Squad
- Role
- Art Direction
- Design
- Development
- Agencies
- PARTY New York
- Year
- 2015
White Squad
White privilege is real. White Squad is fiction.
“White Squad” was part of MTV’s “Look Different” PSA campaign, created bring the younger generation’s attention to the existence of White Privilege in the USA.
We launched the project as a media-mix campaign to reach the broadest audience possible and maximize the opportunities for delivering our message.
White Squad is a fictional service that sends carefully selected white agents to solve various problems caused by racial prejudice, such as court cases, renting an apartment, or even picking up a cab, by using their white privilege.
As a key component of the campaign, a 90-second spot for this fictional company was created and aired on MTV and partner channels and various online media.
In addition to the film, a fully realized website accompanied the TV commercial, providing greater depth and detail. Twitter and Facebook accounts helped round out the fictional world of White Squad, and a working, automated toll-free phone number completed the illusion.
When you visit the website, and click on the Learn More button to get a service, a real message appears along with a glitch effect and a link to MTV’s Look Different campaign site. Also, if you call the phone number, an automated voice prompts you to enter the number as if it were a real service announcement, but ultimately plays a message educating you about white privilege and directing you to the Look Different site.
Result
Launching White Squad on multiple platforms not only solidified our fiction but also meant that a wide variety of demographics could experience at least some part of the campaign. The campaign felt so real that people were getting stunned, resulting in thousands of comments and discussions. White Squad was also named by the Guardian as one of the 10 best ads of 2015.