Myanmar · Social Impact & Purpose
S.O.S.: Save Our Seafarers
When COVID-19 left Myanmar's seafarers stranded at sea and overlooked at home, Ruder Finn Era and the maritime community built S.O.S. Myanmar, an advocacy campaign that reached 482,000 people on Facebook, put the seafarers' case in front of national media and decision makers, and was named one of the 40 best PR campaigns in the world at the 2021 Global SABRE Awards.
The challenge
As COVID-19 spread through Myanmar's economy, the authorities moved to ease the hardship of people whose livelihoods were lost or at risk. The country's seafarers were overlooked. They contribute a sizeable income through remittances and keep goods moving, yet unlike their colleagues from other nations they were not designated essential workers, which left them marooned at sea and on land.
Our solution
With concerned members of the maritime community, Ruder Finn Era created S.O.S. Myanmar, a campaign to win the seafarers essential worker status. It ran primarily through emotionally driven Facebook content that told individual seafarers' stories, backed by sustained media engagement that turned social attention into national coverage and pressure on decision makers.
The results
The campaign gave a voiceless group a national platform, drew media interest almost entirely from its social content, and was recognised as one of the best public affairs campaigns in the region and the world.
- Client
- Uniteam Marine
- Market
- Myanmar
- Practice
- Social Impact & Purpose
- Services
- Public Affairs
- Sector
- Transport and logistics
- Engagement
- Project
