National Geographic and Procter & Gamble have
announced ACTIVATE — a
multiplatform storytelling partnership and six-part documentary series,
co-produced by Global Citizen and RadicalMedia. Premiering globally this
fall on National Geographic in 172 countries and 43 languages,
the ACTIVATE series — bolstered by custom content distributed across Nat
Geo’s vast network of social, digital, linear and print channels — will focus on
extreme poverty, inequality and sustainability issues to mobilize
global citizens to drive meaningful and lasting change.
Each episode delves into a different issue connected to the root causes of
extreme poverty, following a specific Global Citizen campaign and organizers,
amplifiers, grassroots activists and the people whose lives are being
changed. ACTIVATE episode topics include clean drinking water and
sanitation, racial
bias
and criminalization of poverty, girls’ education, responsible
sourcing, plastic
waste
and disaster relief.
The ACTIVATE series will take audiences from the stage of the Global
Citizen Festival to the front lines
of change around the world, where work to address issues related to extreme
poverty is happening in real and tangible ways through initiatives administered
by P&G and Global Citizen. Through the eyes of celebrity activists
including Uzo Aduba, Rachel Brosnahan, Hugh Jackman, Gayle
King, Usher and Pharrell
Williams,
viewers will hear the stories, meet the people and witness firsthand the work
being done to combat extreme poverty and inspire a global movement.
Along with the documentary series, the multiplatform storytelling partnership
will include a 12-page, custom print section for ACTIVATE in the September
issue of National Geographic magazine; as well as custom story stretches
aligned with each episode, custom digital articles and social media moments for
Tide, Always, Charmin and Head &
Shoulders
— the P&G brands aligned with ACTIVATE. The partnership will also include a
digital headquarters for consumers who would like to dive deeper into the six
critical issues highlighted in the series, the Global Citizen campaigns
connected to each and P&G’s efforts on these topics.
“Over the past 10 years, Global Citizens have campaigned on the most pressing
issues facing the world with a shared goal of defeating extreme poverty,”
said Global Citizen CEO Hugh Evans. “Through our partnership with National
Geographic and P&G, we are excited for the first time to be able to share the
stories behind the movement and the impact of our advocacy, and encourage
viewers in 172 countries to stand up and join the fight.”
The unique partnership is the result of a shared commitment National Geographic,
P&G and Global Citizen have made to leverage their collective influence,
audience and scale to raise awareness and inspire a global community to take
action. Along with Nat Geo’s 130-year history of rich impact storytelling,
Global Citizen has been working to defeat extreme poverty through grassroots
efforts and citizen engagement for more than 10 years — motivating businesses,
organizations and governments to make changes that will have real impact around
the world; while P&G has aimed to leverage its brands and its people to make the
world a better place by addressing critical issues related to girls’ education,
clean drinking
water,
disaster relief, toxic
masculinity
and more.
“ACTIVATE is a powerful storytelling platform for P&G brands – Tide, Always,
Charmin and Head & Shoulders – to use their voices as a force for good,”
said Marc
Pritchard,
Chief Brand Officer at P&G. “Brands affect nearly every person on the planet,
every day, and can be agents of change –
individually and collectively. We believe one of the best ways to solve the
challenges facing our world is for brands to spark conversations that mobilize
people to take action.”
Film crews are already out in the field — in South Africa, the
Philippines, Nigeria and Peru — capturing content for
the ACTIVATE series; the first episode is slated to air in fall 2019.
Keeping in tune with its global platform, the series will also experiment with
new content and distribution models, and new ways to mobilize viewers across the
world.
Get the latest insights, trends, and innovations to help position yourself at the forefront of sustainable business leadership—delivered straight to your inbox.
Sustainable Brands Staff
Published Feb 11, 2019 5am EST / 2am PST / 10am GMT / 11am CET