CONTEXT builds a global campaign for the Red Cross : Context

FLU FIGHTERS

5 mins

CONTEXT builds a global campaign for the Red Cross

In 2009, as the H1N1 ‘Swine Flu’ pandemic loomed, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) needed a global campaign to slow its spread. CONTEXT developed a copy-driven campaign.

Winning the pitch, beating the big boys

In a pitch scenario to win the business, CONTEXT went head-to-head with a little outfit called Saatchi & Saatchi Geneva. No pressure. CONTEXT won with a simple, powerful line: Your best defence is you. It was direct, empowering, and crucially, translatable across the world. The idea: “You can help stop this thing—by changing your behaviour.”

Global reach, human voice

The Red Cross needed something practical and actionable that could cross borders, cultures, and languages. The campaign—built around posters, radio scripts, and digital content—launched in more than 170 countries. It turned complex health advice into simple human truths: wash your hands, cover your mouth, stay home if you’re sick. All wrapped up in a voice that was both reassuring and rallying.

What value did we bring?

This was storytelling in its most urgent form: strategic copy under pressure. CONTEXT brought clarity, conviction, and a global-ready tone of voice to one of the most ambitious behaviour-change campaigns in Red Cross history. We helped build a campaign that was science-backed but emotionally smart—clear, calm, and full of call-to-action energy. Saatchi & Saatchi haven’t spoken to us since.

FLU FIGHTERS