MTV got social media buzzing around the globe on Human Right’s Day this year (21 March) after MTV screens symbolically turned black and white for 24 hours, draining the screen of colour to protest about ongoing racial inequality in South Africa, and to spark a conversation social media platforms like on Facebook, Twitter and on Instagram.
#LetsTalkColour took Gold for media innovation, a Silver for broadcast design and motion graphics, and Bronze awards in both the social media and branded content categories.
The campaign achieved an estimated 22.7 million impressions on Twitter after the channel and all its affiliated social media accounts went greyscale for a day.
Among the high profile figures and organisations who voiced their support for #LetsTalkColour were Trevor Noah, The Nelson Mandela Foundation, Gareth Cliff, AKA, Fikile Mbalula, Minister of Sport and Recreation, Julius Malema, CNN, Unathi Msengana, Poppy Ntshongwana, and Khloe Kardashian.
“We are delighted to have been honoured at the Loeries for this important campaign which set out to make stimulate dialogue about issues of race and racism in South Africa. By timing it to take place on the UN International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and Human Rights Day in South Africa, we sparked a progressive public debate about these issues that resonated around the world,” says Dillon Khan, senior creative director for VIMN Africa.
The annual Loeries Creative Week took place in Durban from August Monday, 15 until Sunday, August 21. First staged in 1978 to support South Africa's television advertising industry, the Loeries have since expanded to encompass all areas of brand communication throughout Africa and the Middle East.
#LetsTalkColour was a collaboration between MTV and Ogilvy SA.