‘There is no them, just us.’ The first major campaign in almost a decade for Oxfam calls on UK citizens to unite for a fairer world for all.

Challenging the ‘us’ and ‘them’ narratives that distract from making positive, universal change, the new campaign from Oxfam premiered last night (22nd July) interrupting the Channel 4 News programme. Calling on audiences to help the charity tackle worldwide issues like poverty, inequality and climate change, the campaign aims to penetrate the fatigue the sector faces.

The TV spot opened with a powerful line from late South African President Nelson Mandela who says “I ask all humanity now to rise up”. Audiences were then shown footage of Oxfam’s past projects and protests stitched together in a glitching and static-filled manner, underlining the outspokenness of Oxfam and its persisting urge to drive change. As Massive Attack’s powerful ‘Teardrop’ track plays a spoken word voiceover urges audiences to keep working together to fight inequality and urges changemakers to play their part.

‘Just Us’, was written by The House of Oddities Co-Founder and CCO Darren Smith and directed by The House of Oddities Co-Founder and CEO Sachini Imbuldeniya. It was co-created with Oxfam’s in-house team through a collaborative process that made strong use of existing material combined with filmed footage.

“For too long now we’ve all been feeling the effects of an unfair world. We have allowed divisive narratives from media and politicians to keep us from being united, but together we can bring about positive change on issues from the cost of living crisis and inequality to climate change.” says Director Sachini Imbuldeniya.

She continues; “Oxfam partners with incredible activists, change makers and communities around the world and it succeeds by creating a united, collaborative approach to problem solving. I saw this ad as an opportunity to literally ‘break in’ to our audience’s content feeds to show them what real unity can look like – and provoke not just a reaction, but real action.”

The campaign was created with The House of Oddities who assembled one of the most diverse cast and production crews to deliver the campaign with the help of Executive Producer Mali Okoi-Obuli, DOP Madeleine Penfold and talent agencies like Zebedee. Carbon emissions of the entire production were also offset to minimise the campaign's environmental impact.

As well as the powerful film, a unique ‘pause’ ad also appears on Smart TVs, Desktops and mobile when audiences pause the ad to act as a full ‘takeover’ of their devices.

Stopping audiences in their tracks with a message of togetherness the campaign underlines how collective action benefits all. Showcasing the capacity for change, the spot successfully punctures any fatigue in the sector by rallying audiences with the hope of a better future.