Publicis Kaplan Thaler Crafts The ADL's Imagination

Publicis Kaplan Thaler Crafts The ADL's Imagination

To mark the 100th year of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Publicis Kaplan Thaler, the New York-based agency, took on the task of creating a sharable spot that highlighted the importance of tolerance in society. The result is 'Imagine A World Without Hate', a remarkable journey though an alternate present-day in which various iconic people whose lives were cut short because of hatred and bigotry are shown to have achieved even greater things.

Set to the strains of John Lennon's 'Imagine', the film encompasses such figures as Martin Luther King Jr, Harvey Milk and James Byrd and forms a moving tale of the ramifications of intolerance. We caught a moment with Linda Kaplan Thaler, Chairman of Publicis Kaplan Thaler and Executive Creative Director for the campaign, to chat about the concept of the piece and how the agency partnered with the ADL to get it created.
 

How did the ADL film come to be made? Is it a project close to the folks at Publicis Kaplan Thaler's hearts?

Several years ago I met Abe Foxman, the brilliant leader of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), and immediately admired his devotion to the ADL's mission of putting an end to hatred and bigotry. I had always hoped we would work together someday, so when Abe came to us to create a video to celebrate the ADL's centennial, we jumped at the opportunity. The project instantly resonated with the folks here at Publicis Kaplan Thaler, and we're so proud to have partnered with them on this effort.

The concept of the film – imagining how great people may have affected the world were they not taken from us – is remarkably powerful. How did you come up with it?

The challenge at hand was to create a film that celebrates the ADL's centennial and the work they've done to promote a more respectful and inclusive society. During our first brainstorming session, our team sadly remembered all of the incredible people whose lives had been brutally cut short by racism, homophobia or anti-Semitism. So we started asking ourselves: What would have happened if Martin Luther King Jr., Anne Frank, and Matthew Shepard had lived out their lives? Can you imagine what the world would be like? We knew instantly it was a powerful and emotive idea.
 

How did you choose the figures to use? Were there any that you couldn't incorporate?

The film includes many high-profile figures, so we knew it would resonate with viewers. Sadly there are so many great people whose lives were cut short, but perhaps one day we will honor them and expand upon the original film.

There's a neat subtlety to the presentation of the idea. Were you worried that some people might not grasp the context on first viewing?

Actually, no, we thought it would break through and immediately draw people in, and with so many hundreds of thousands of views, we believe the meaning and message have been communicated very clearly.
 

The song 'Imagine' has a great resonance with the theme of the film, as well as having an in-built connection to pretty much anyone who knows it. Do you think it's important to use a recognisable song like that in campaigns such as this one? Were there ever any other considerations for the audio?

The song "Imagine" by John Lennon has been used many times, but we could not imagine a better piece of music for this film, and we're very grateful to both Sony and Yoko Ono who helped us to secure rights to the song.

Are you happy with how the film has been received? What can people do to spread the word?

We're incredibly happy with the response. Since our launch just last week (3/20/13), the film is approaching one million views on YouTube, and many several celebrities, key influencers and organizations have tweeted the film, shared it on Facebook, and posted on their blogs. These include: Arianna Huffington, Ann Curry, Mark Burnett, Roma Downey, Ambassador Susan Rice, Ricky Martin, Moby, and Perez Hilton to name a few. We're trying to get this powerful message of tolerance and respect spread across the entire globe so we're asking people to watch it, share it, tweet it, and post it to everyone they know. Then, who knows? Maybe we can get billions of people to imagine a world without hate.