THE UNFILTERED HISTORY TOUR

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TitleTHE UNFILTERED HISTORY TOUR
BrandVICE WORLD NEWS
Product / ServiceVICE WORLD NEWS
CategoryA01. Activation by Location
EntrantDENTSU WEBCHUTNEY Bengaluru, INDIA
Idea Creation DENTSU WEBCHUTNEY Bengaluru, INDIA
Idea Creation 2 DENTSU WEBCHUTNEY Mumbai, INDIA
Idea Creation 3 DENTSU WEBCHUTNEY Gurgaon, INDIA
Media Placement DENTSU WEBCHUTNEY Mumbai, INDIA
PR DENTSU WEBCHUTNEY Mumbai, INDIA
Production DENTSU WEBCHUTNEY Mumbai, INDIA
Production 2 PIXEL PARTY New Delhi, INDIA
Production 3 VICE MEDIA London, UNITED KINGDOM

Credits

Name Company Position
Gautam Reghunath Dentsu Creative Head of Business
Aditiya P.G. Dentsu Creative Head of Creative
Gurbaksh Singh Dentsu Creative Innovation Lead
Binaifer Dulani Dentsu Creative Creative Lead
Karishma Changroth Dentsu Creative Project Lead
Ashwin Palkar Dentsu Creative Creative Head - Art
Kushal Lalvani Dentsu Creative Copy Lead
Aabhaas Shreshtha Dentsu Creative Creative - Art
Anjali Thomas Dentsu Creative Account Manager
Geetika Sood Dentsu Creative Creative Producer
Niranjan Raghu Dentsu Creative Video Lead
Manish Joseph Dentsu Creative Motion Graphics Lead
Ishtaarth Dalmia Dentsu Creative Strategist
Ananya S Rao Dentsu Creative Strategist
Meghna Yesudas Dentsu Creative Social Lead
Shaleen Wadhwana Consultant Research Consultant
Shreya Vivek Arora Dentsu Creative Senior Art Director
Tanya Paul Dentsu Creative Senior Art Director
Vignesh Praveen Dentsu Creative Animation and Video Production
Manasi Sheth Dentsu Creative Art Director
Rakesh Bairwa Dentsu Creative Lead Web Developer
Rahul Sharma Dentsu Creative Web Developer
Gerson Pearson Dentsu Creative Video and Mixed Reality Producer
Priyanka Borah Dentsu Creative Business Lead
Stuti Sudha Dentsu Creative Copywriter
Amey Chodankar Dentsu Creative Auxiliary Art Support
Karthik Nambiar Dentsu Creative Auxiliary Art Support
Farishte Irani Dentsu Creative Auxiliary Copy Support
Vaishakh Kolaprath Dentsu Creative Art Director
Ronak Chugh Rooted Films LLP Films
Sameer Rahat Consultant Music Composer
Jeremy Pinto Vivi5 Studios Motion Graphics
Manas Sharma Vivi5 Studios Motion Graphics
Mehul Mahicha Vivi5 Studios Motion Graphics
Ateesh Chattopadhyay Consultant .
Sachin Ghanekar Consultant .
Prashant Bhikadia Consultant .
Emi Eleode Consultant .
Shanel Moraes Consultant .

Background

Situation The British Museum is the world’s largest receiver of stolen goods. With over 8 million objects, that’s a lot of looted artefacts. For for centuries, we’ve only heard the imperialist version of they got there. An equitable environment can only be created when silenced voices express the intergenerational trauma caused by colonial loot. Brief To place VICE World News at the forefront of conversations around colonialism and challenge dominant cultures by opening up dialogue to countries around the world to create a balance in the way history has been told. Objectives 1. Give a platform to underrepresented minority voices to share their accounts of artefacts that belong to their country. 2. Re-ignite the ongoing conversation on repatriation and postcolonialism on social media, with VICE championing marginalised voices. 3. Educate young people about the untold side of history using a tool as accessible as Instagram filters to tell unfiltered stories.

Describe the creative idea

The Unfiltered History Tour is a multimedia guerrilla tour of the British Museum’s disputed artefacts carried out at the Museum via Instagram filters by making use of Augmented Reality. However, instead of adding dog ears to a selfie, the same technology was re-engineered to scan and identify life-sized 3D artefacts in differing light conditions throughout the day, to showcase first-ever visual depictions of scenes of colonial crime without the Museum’s consent. To rebalance centuries of imperialist narrative, we created Instagram Filters that scan 10 heavily disputed artefacts on display at the Museum. From Egyptologists, to the seventh descendant of the Gweagal Shield, to the Governor of Rapa Nui - 10 experts play tour guide in narrating the true histories of artefacts from their homelands. Those who aren’t at the Museum can unfilter history with immersive audio-video experiences and extended podcasts hosted on the Unfiltered History Tour microsite.

Describe the strategy

Data gathering Through an exhaustive selection process in consultation with an art historian, disputed artefacts with an imperialist narrative were chosen, with representation across continents and cultures - Jamaica, Easter Island, Egypt, Greece, Nigeria, Ghana, Iraq, India, China and Australia. Target audience We took a social-first approach and spoke to young people on platforms they were most likely to take notice of - Instagram, Tik Tok, Spotify, Apple Music and other audio platforms. Approach Authenticity was at the forefront of the project, in collaboration with native experts from 10 countries who presented a side of history never seen or read in textbooks or by the Museum. This approach challenged dominant culture and went against the mainstream narrative around colonial artefacts pushed by major publications and the Museum itself. Call to action Visitors to the British Museum were invited to experience another side of history by taking the Unfiltered History Tour.

Describe the execution

Implementation: The Instagram filters were developed by a 100-person strong team working remotely for 18 months across 10 time zones. AR technicians accounted for changing light conditions inside the museum by developing an Instagram filter based on real-time weather using LiDAR technology (Light Detection and Ranging) to dynamically adapt to the changing environment at the museum, in a first of its kind Instagram Filter that blends satellite data with Augmented Reality. Timeline Launched in December 2021. Placement Instagram Augmented Reality filters to be scanned by visitors at the British Museum, through their phones and podcast series on all popular audio platforms like Spotify & Apple Music. Scale Every Museum visitor can take the Tour from their phones, revealing the true history of disputed artefacts. Those not at the Museum could still partake in immersive audio-visual experiences and extended podcasts hosted on The Unfiltered History Tour microsite.

List the results

In its first month, the campaign has seen $631K earned media 32 million social impressions 40% rise in TikTok followers and 49% increase in total impressions on Instagram 21,583 podcast downloads and 5,200 filter uses Change in behaviour According to a 2014 survey, 59% of Britons were proud of the British Empire. In a poll conducted weeks after the Tour was launched, 59% of Britons said they believed the Parthenon Marbles (part of the Tour) belonged in Greece, a sharp turn in the opposite direction. The podcast series let us go a lot deeper with the project and give audiences something heavily educational, not found in British history textbooks. What some users had to say after taking the tour: “Clever and a brilliant way of teaching historical reality” “Confronts and challenges colonial origins.” “Hearing the past told by multiple perspectives gives depth.” “A much needed resource.”

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