The steady news stream around human-rights violating dictator Vladimir Putin has desensitized most of us to his offenses. That means less support for the very people and causes working so hard to keep him in check. The world needed a wake-up call. Enter Shirts for Putin.
Vladimir Putin's list of human rights offenses is only rivaled by the number of results in a Google search for "Shirtless Putin". So we gave people the opportunity to put Putin in his place by dressing this ego-maniac in shirts he'd never wear for causes he'd never support.
More than a human rights fashion show, this campaign put the 'fun' in fundraiser while driving awareness, education and, most importantly, donation.
Each cause/shirt is deliberately over-the-top, shareable on social, supported with facts, and directs users to a donate page so they can give money to The Committee to Protect Journalists, The Human Rights Campaign, and Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Organization. Each one an organization that advocates for the very causes Putin wants to destroy.
We launched ShirtsForPutin.com during the holiday season while other agencies spent energy formulating holiday cards. We thought, "Why not do something to make a real impact on the world?"
In the end, we didn't topple his dictatorship. But we did force Putin into 47 different shirts, each one supporting a cause that would really, steam his borscht. We even caught some press.
