Results and Effectiveness

Our New Zealand project is in its infancy, but has already gathered global traction. We have reached 15 million people with Trial by Timeline. Daily visits have topped 17,000 and over 200 countries have taken part. The average time spent on this site is over 7 minutes and 10% of total users have shared this via Facebook or Twitter. Amnesty sections in Sweden, Turkey, South Korea, Denmark and Norway have requested translations of the software. Closer to home, Trial by Timeline has received coverage across all national media channels, trended on Twitter and was advocated by local celebrities and influential bloggers alike. Most importantly, we’ve increased Amnesty International NZ’s Facebook community by more than 500%.

Creative Execution

We turned to Facebook as the place where so many of us freely express ourselves and share our lives. Tapping into users Facebook profiles, we were able to create a personally relevant experience of how human rights are affected in other parts of the world and, therefore, how important the work of Amnesty International is to all humans. As the site went live, we launched a PR campaign across major TV and new stations, IT publications and social media sites. We tapped into Amnesty’s network of local supporters to spark the social sharing aspect of the campaign. As users trialed and shared the application, we trended on Twitter and visits to the site grew. So much so that, with addition of greater server capacity, sharing continued around the world, reaching over 200 countries.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

Through sheer luck, New Zealanders live in the freest country on Earth. We’re afforded the freedom to say what we’re thinking, wear what we want, choose our own friends – freedoms we take for granted. Yet, in a country as fortunate as ours, Amnesty International is a movement understood and supported by only a small few. So, how do we get as many New Zealanders as possible to understand the work that Amnesty do and feel it relevant enough for them to show their support? Our solution was Trial by Timeline: a Facebook application that scans your Timeline activity and shows you what your behaviour would have cost you around the world, just for being you. It searches for everything you’ve ever liked, posted or written. It studies your personal profile, your age, nationality, relationship status and political views and sentences you to real punishments. Finally, it asks you to use your freedom to help free others by showing your support for Amnesty International.