BT And Hope United Celebrate Black History Month

Saatchi & Saatchi creates series of educational, entertaining and inspiring content across BT and BT Sport

By creative salon

12 October 2021

BT is seeking to continue its message of hope and inclusion, with the release of a new series of bitesized educational films, featuring members of the Hope United squad.

The squad who will share their stories and online resources to help educate the nation on Black British history.

The first film released sees Rio and Anton Ferdinand discuss Standing Firm: Football’s Windrush Story, a documentary that premiered exclusively on BT Sport on September 28.

The footballers, who both feature in the film, will point viewers to the BT Sport website and app where anyone will be able to watch the documentary for free.

There, they can learn more about the legacy and impact the Windrush generation, their descendants and continued Caribbean migration, and the effect this has had on English football and the national team.

Eni Aluko - one of Hope United’s coaches - will feature in the second episode in the content series, sharing her passion for football’s Black pioneers Emma Clarke and Laurie Cunningham, the first Black football player to represent England in a competitive international match. Eni will encourage viewers to visit the Nubian Jak Community Trust – the only commemorative plaque and sculpture scheme focussed on commemorating the contributions of Black and minority ethnic people in Britain.

The final film will feature footballer Marcus Rashford as he explores the important role literature plays in introducing young people to Black British history in their early years of school.

The episode will see Marcus share recommendations and a carefully curated list of books for parents and carers to inspire and help children and young people discover more about black history and culture.

Pete Jeavons, director of marketing communications at BT, said: “This campaign is another step forward in our mission to connect for good. Through our ongoing work with the Hope United team, and by using our channels, we will continue driving a message of hope, offering the nation online resources to educate themselves on Black British history. We launched Hope United in a collective stand against social media hate; this campaign sees us continue tackling this issue with action, education and a commitment to facilitating change.”

Rio Ferdinand said “I joined Hope United because I want to help make a difference and beat online hate for good. I believe that education is the key to a more inclusive world and to help in the fight back against racism whether that is on social media or in real life. I hope that by sharing learning from the past and the importance of black history we will build a more inclusive society.”

Will John, ECD at Saatchi & Saatchi said: “At the core of Hope United is the idea that education can be a facilitator for change, that education can bring hope. Hope United has the reach and influence to use social media for good, so it was great to work with them to help educate the nation through bitesize lessons about Black British history. It’s an opportunity for people to continue their learning journey by providing some inspirational resources from across the web, all curated by BT.”

CREDITS

CAMPAIGN TITLE: Hope United x Black History Month

CLIENT: BT

ADVERTISING AGENCY: Saatchi & Saatchi London

CCO: Guillermo Vega

CREATIVE DIRECTOR: William John

CREATIVE TEAM: William Brookwell, Nathan Crawford

PLANNER: Ciarán McManus

BUSINESS LEAD: Richard Sweetman

ACCOUNT TEAM: Gabi Dwek

AGENCY PRODUCER: Ali Terral

MEDIA BUYING AGENCY: Essence