This travel ad subverts a racist insult by giving it a positive twist

Black and Abroad encourages travelers to 'go back to Africa'

Published On
Apr 09, 2019

Editor's Pick

Black and Abroad, a travel company catering to modern black travelers, takes the racist and derogatory phrase “Go back to Africa” and gives it a new, positive twist for a pan-African tourism campaign.

The campaign, by FCB/Six, starts off by showing some hate-fueled Twitter posts using the phrase, but then reframes them against words and images showing the beauty and diversity of African countries.

“One of the campaign’s goals is to effectively strip the perceived power away from those who use the phrase ‘Go back to Africa’ with derogatory intent,” says Eric Martin, co-founder of Black & Abroad, in a statement. “If we can strip the expression of its impact, then we can debunk the age-old narrative that Africa is a desolate, disease-ridden wasteland undeserving of our time and travels.”

The campaign, which includes ads on Twitter, YouTube and digital OOH, drives viewers to a website at GoBacktoAfrica.com. Media agency Initiative Media helped FCB/Six to identify and reach African Americans who are interested in travel, and the campaign highlights each one of Africa’s 54 countries then invites them to “See themselves there.”

“We’re interested in showing a more diverse picture of Africa than you see in traditional tourism campaigns,” adds Eric Martin. “Yes, there are zebras in Africa, and zebras are great. But there are also amazing art galleries, and restaurants, and beaches, and other experiences, many of which may be more relevant to African American tourists than some other groups.”

Credits

Date
Apr 09, 2019
Client :
Black and Abroad
Agency :
FCB
Executive Creative Director :
Ian Mackenzie
Associate Creative Director :
Fred Nduna
Associate Creative Director :
Andrew Bernardi
Copywriter :
Curtis Chapman
Designer :
Ramon Charles
Account Director :
Fraser Jackson
Integrated Producer :
Gillian Morrison
Junior Producer :
Kristine Lippett
EVP, Strategy :
Anna Percy-Dove
Director, Strategy :
Paul Hanlon
Strategist :
Simran Kaur
Senior Manager, Data Analytics :
Andrew Yang
Data Analyst :
Abdul Dau
VP, Head of Data and Technology :
Jacob Ciesielski
Product & Technology Solutions :
John Sime
Front-End Developer :
Heung Lee
President :
Andrea Cook
SVP, Director of Global Communications & PR :
Melanie Mitchem
Post Production House :
Rooster Post Production
Editor :
Colin Murdock
Editor :
Jeff Poremba
Assistant Editor :
Shane Preston
Executive Producer :
Kristen Van Fleet
Executive Producer :
Yumi Suyama
Media Agency :
Initiative
Public Relations :
Shannon Stephaniuk
Public Relations :
Glossy
Music and Sound Design :
Grayson Matthews
Music Producer :
Mark Domitric
Engineer :
Vlad Nikolic
Media Producer :
Nicholas Shaw
Agency :
FCB

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Project Type