At a pivotal time when America continues to face a turbulent socio-economic climate, a campaign from Wikipedia, the free online encyclopaedia created and edited by people around the world, championed the importance of human knowledge.

Created with the help of Virtue Worldwide, the campaign titled ‘Knowledge is Human’ reached 4.5 million Americans with the message that Wikipedia knowledge is both human and reliable. 

260,000 volunteer contributors known as ‘Wikipedians’ work behind the scenes to ensure that Wikipedia remains unique, human and collaborative. At a time when consumers are finding it hard to trust what they read online, Wikipedia set out to position itself as a go-to source for reliable knowledge. With no ads, algorithms or motive, the side is viewed more than 15 billion times every month. 

The Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit that operates Wikipedia, in partnership with Virtue Worldwide created an out-of-home campaign to bring to life the power of human knowledge and collaboration.

Showcasing the breadth of information available on Wiki, the campaign featured digital billboards showing contextually relevant articles. Topics included: “Democracy”, “Rats in New York City” and “Skateboarding”.

The creative emphasised that what makes Wikipedia unique is its human element, showing that no matter the topic, knowledge on the site is constantly being verified, edited and refined by multitudes of people: “Knowledge is 5.7 updates per second. Knowledge is 26 million contributors. Knowledge is human.” 

Speaking on the campaign, Chris Garbutt, Co-President at Virtue Worldwide says: “When we collaborate, debate, and refine knowledge together, we ensure it remains a trustworthy resource. One that transcends divisions and becomes our common ground. Few brands can claim to add as much value to consumers and the world at large as Wikipedia and this campaign has revitalised the important conversation around misinformation, and how it impacts our world at a crucial time in the US.” 

The campaign successfully reached 4.5 million members through out of home, social and in real life activations which drove a 56% increase in visitors to the site. 

During a time when access to knowledge was most pivotal, the campaign underlined that audiences have a reliable place to go, verified by humans.