The ONE Campaign and Seeker partnered to develop a short-form virtual reality experience designed to influence key political decision-makers to support The Global Fund, which aims to end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
Through the lens of "Poverty is Sexist," The ONE Campaign and Seeker illustrated how women and girls are disproportionately affected by poverty, spanning healthcare, nutrition, education and safety, and illustrate how women greatly benefit from The Global Fund initiatives. Seeker was challenged to help both policymakers and our socially-conscious millennial audience understand the multitude of issues that women and girls face, underscoring the efforts The ONE Campaign and the critical importance of supporting The Global Fund.
Seeker leveraged experiential Virtual Reality (360/VR) storytelling to illustrate how epidemics like Aids, Malaria, and Tuberculosis affect women in poverty and highlight the measures the Global Fund is taking to support prevention and treatment of these debilitating diseases. The VR experience transported viewers into the world of Doris, an HIV-positive patient whose life has been saved by the Global Fund-supported program at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra, Ghana. Viewers were exposed to the overwhelming challenges Doris faced living with HIV, from losing her children to facing ostracization by her family. Through the treatment she received at Korle Bu, Doris' illness is controlled, she has since born healthy (non-HIV) children, and she serves as a mentor for women facing similar challenges.
Through personal accounts of those directly impacted by the Global Fund, the Seeker/ONE partnership showcased the significant, tangible and direct impact that the Global Fund is having on individuals and communities, and especially women, who are disproportionately impacted by poverty. A total of 6 pieces of video and editorial content were developed, drumming up awareness for this initiative among Seeker's socially conscious, millennial audience.
The VR experience premiered at the 2016 Republican National Convention and Democratic National Convention, placing Doris' story in the hands of active voters and policymakers. The 360 video continued to travel with ONE across the globe, being translated into 3 languages for worldwide consumption. The piece served as a key driver in galvanizing support for the Global Fund at high profile events, reaching a global audience of 450,000+ policymakers, activists, social businesses, and key funders. At the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation event on preventable diseases, the VR booth featuring Doris' story had a 4-hour long wait and generated over 100 new member sign-ups. This 360 piece, along with supplemental editorial and social content, delivered over 460K views across Seeker channels.
