WorldRemit unveils ‘I*m Migrant’ nationwide campaign

WorldRemit, a leading global remittance platform, is launching a nationwide advertising campaign to showcase the positive impact of migrants in the UK and their countries of origin.

The I*m Migrant campaign, created by the brand’s in-house creative team, operated by OLIVER and media planning executed by Crossmedia agency, will launch with TV spots on ITV and Sky News and run in national and regional media across radio, DOOH and OOH, as well as on social media through the UK this summer.

The creative brings to life the impact of 15 migrants in the UK as well as in their country of origin. Among those featured is:

Oladapo ‘Daps’ Fagbenle, a Nigerian-born British artist and globally recognised video director, who has worked with Google, Nike, and musical artists like Drake, Nicki Minaj, Migos, Stormzy, Kendrick Lamar, and Wizkid.

Mariah Idrissi, a British-Pakistani-Moroccan model, who was the first to wear a hijab in an ad campaign for H&M, among others. Their stories can be found on worldremit.com/im-migrant.

Beyond celebrity talent, the campaign shows stories of those providing acute care at the NHS while supporting the retirement of parents abroad, driving global trends in music while financing the education of siblings in Nigeria, founders of non-profit organisations and more. These are the first of hundreds of stories WorldRemit intends to bring to life to champion the impact migrants make in their country of destination, as well as their country of origin.

The campaign was developed to shift the narrative around the impact of migrants in the UK and champion the world of difference they have on society and the world at-large.

As of 2018/19 migrants were reported, on average, to have contributed more than £20 billion in net contributions to the UK tax and benefits system, according to The Migration Observatory. Moreover, migrants have a significant impact on the economies of their home nations. The UN says that by 2030, $2 trillion dollars will have been saved or invested through remittances.

Founded in 2010 by Ismail Ahmed, a Somalian immigrant to the UK, WorldRemit is the UK’s first black-owned Unicorn, and has provided an easy way for migrants to send money across borders for more than eight million people, as part of Zepz.

“As society becomes more divided on issues surrounding identity, the migrant population remains a target for stereotypes, negative sentiment and misconceptions.” said Patrick Stal, chief marketing officer, WorldRemit. “Migrants are the core of our customer base, and we see the herculean effort they put in every day to make both the UK, as well as their communities back home, a better place. Their impact is too often overlooked, and as a group they are too often anonymized.

“We will be putting a face to their impact, stand by them as we champion them and serve their efforts to make their worlds a better place – hopefully helping them stand up to the racism and xenophobia they face every day and enable them to proudly say ‘I’m Migrant’ in a future that celebrates their impact.”

Simon Martin, founder and chief executive, OLIVER, added: “In the media, people are confronted with the word ‘immigrant’ and it’s nearly always in a negative light. It is important to highlight the benefits migration brings as a crucial part of the debate and this campaign does just that by showing real people behind that word and highlighting the contribution they make. Our partnership with WorldRemit aligns closely with our core values and our ambitions to be an inclusive organisation. This bold campaign is testament to that.”

Tony Williams, managing director, Crossmedia added: “While discussing diversity in media is vital, it is equally crucial to support it with tangible actions. WorldRemit’s commitment to sharing migrants’ stories nationally and within their own communities demonstrates such action. At Crossmedia, we deeply value this message, as over half of our team comprises migrants. When planning the media activity for this campaign, our primary focus was to generate maximum impact and extensive coverage, aiming to amplify the voices of migrants and ensure their stories reach as many people across the UK as possible.”

The I’m Migrant campaign precedes the launch of WorldRemit’s new grant initiative MyGrant, which will launch in 2024 and award 10 migrants up to £5,000 each for educational purposes.

Learn more at www.worldremit.com/im-migrant.