DDB has thrown its creative weight behind Save the Children's Nepal appeal, with the agency organising an online art auction featuring some of the biggest names on the Australian art scene.
On 25 April this year a magnitude 7.9 earthquake hit Nepal, just 50 miles from the capitol, Katmandu. It killed more than 9,000 people and injured a further 17,000 - including many children.
The tragedy deeply affected Leesa Murray, senior art buyer for the agency and caused her to walk into the office the next day and write an email to the management team asking if they could organise an art action to help.
They all unanimously agreed and within two weeks Murray had several artists signed up to take part.
“Within two weeks I had close to 250 pieces of artwork donated to me from artists all over the world,” she told AdNews.
Working with Murray, chief creative officer Toby Talbot then sat down with the creative team to work out how the agency could best get the message out there.
“It came from a really generous place, and it came from the notion that an ad agency can reach out with the art community like that. We are in constant contact with some incredible artists and photographers, it felt like natural thing for us to do,” he said.
The auction features work from Reg Mombassa, Lister and Ken Done, with all the funds going straight to help those who need it most. The agency chose to support Save the Children, who is global client of DDB, because of all the work they are continuing to do in the region. It gave them an opportunity to build on the work that sister agency Adam & Eve in London is doing for the charity.
Talbot explained that the agency sat down and made it a very collaborative project and he said he felt it was great that an agency was using its skills for such a positive cause.
“Sometimes the great thing about being part of an advertising agency is we can use that creative resource in a positive way, and this is just about us in our own spare time putting the effort in to create communication around it. We're so proud how we've all rallied together as team,” he said.
“It always feels good karmically to do something like this because we have to sell stuff and do the hard-nosed industry stuff, so it's lovely to put something back.”
There's one week to go in the bidding for the auction, you can find the page here.
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