Droga5's Once Upon a Future campaign for the UN to engage the youth
The campaign, developed in partnership with creative agency Droga5, Once Upon a Future goes beyond traditional tactics to create a compelling narrative designed specifically to engage a young, global audience.
The Summit, held on 22 and 23 September, aimed to reset global cooperation by bringing together decision-makers, civil society, and youth to address 21st-century challenges.
Purpose of the campaign
Once Upon a Future highlights the stakes of the Summit for Gen Z and future generations, and will amplify their calls for leaders to agree on the Pact for the Future — a new agreement that would strengthen the multilateral system to better help countries think, plan, and act for the future.
The Pact addresses important issues ranging from peace and security to digital cooperation, to how we finance our development goals and better deliver for generations to come.
The campaign swaps doom and gloom for optimism and hope for a better future, by asking the simple, yet powerful question: “What if we get it right?”
“When we imagine our world in 10, 50, or 100 years it’s clear: the future belongs to young people and the generations that follow. They have the biggest stake in this Summit and that is why we launched this campaign: to help bring the Summit to them,” says Elizabeth Cousens, president and CEO of the UN Foundation.
In addition to highlighting the voices and expectations of young people during the Summit of the Future, the campaign also encourages people to take small actions in their daily lives to help build a better future for all through the ActNow platform.
Launched on 12 September, it utilises a suite of eye-catching graphics, animations, and video content to drive awareness and understanding around the Summit and its outcomes.
Once Upon a Future puts young people at the centre, elevating their expectations and aspirations through user-generated content.
Activations
In addition to these visual assets, the campaign also includes the following activations.
The broadcast
To engage young people, especially Gen Z, the centrepiece of the campaign is a youth-centric broadcast of the Summit developed in partnership with Droga 5 and produced by Tim Bierbaum and 1stAveMachine that premiered on YouTube on 22 September at 8pm ET.
The broadcast unpacks the Summit and Pact for the Future so that it is both educational and entertaining for a young audience by featuring creators and content they care about — meeting them where they are.
Hosted by Lea’h Sampson and Hallie Haas, the broadcast also features Heidi Becker, Felipe Neto, Dan Rosen, Pooja Tripathi, and Liah Yoo alongside other creators and UN experts.
Tower viewer
An experiential activation developed by Earth4All, See Through Stories, and Superflux, a custom tower viewer will visually alter the view of the midtown Manhattan skyline, depicting two possible futures for New York in 2075.
In one, New York City experiences severe climate impacts like extreme heat and floods, which exacerbate existing inequalities.
In the other, we see what a thriving New York City could look like if we “get it right” — a green, urban oasis with clean air and water, made possible by fundamental shifts to our economy, energy, and food systems.
The tower viewer was open to the public at Gantry State Park between 13 and 17 September before it was moved to UN Headquarters for the Summit of the Future.
“In a world facing obstacles, it’s time for bold action,” says David Ohana, chief communications and marketing officer of the UN Foundation.
“Working closely with the UN we are determined to not only raise awareness but also drive lasting change — through exciting, thought-provoking and unconventional approaches.”
