Little x Little receives 2018 Global Leadership Award from United Nations Foundation

11 Oct 2018

The Award recognises the exemplary individuals, organisations, and corporations who have dedicated their time and resources to support the work of the United Nations and the Sustainable Development Goals

New York, 11 October 2018 – At the annual Global Leadership Dinner, the United Nations Foundation presented the creative team behind Common Ground’s global action campaign, Little x Little, with the 2018 Global Leadership Award for their groundbreaking, innovative work to support the United Nations and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Little x Little is a first-of-its-kind initiative where creatives from the world’s six largest advertising holding companies (Dentsu, Havas, IPG, Omnicom, Publicis Groupe and WPP) and Wieden+Kennedy came together to raise awareness and drive the UN’s sustainable development agenda among Generation Z, the largest in history. By engaging the current generation of mission-driven young people, the campaign set out to prove that small acts carried out on a regular basis can have an impact far greater than the sum of its parts.

The campaign launched in March with an anthem YouTube video, “How to Save the World in 6 Seconds,” and a series of six-second ads encouraging people to share their own small actions. To support and amplify the campaign, Google committed a grant of global YouTube media. The campaign has already amassed a combined total of 70 million views and 66 million Twitter impressions.  

In a joint statement the Common Ground partners said, “The Global Leadership Award is a spark that can help convert Little x Little from a campaign into a global movement and is only the beginning of our multi-phased effort to inspire a generation, harness their will for change, and drive two billion acts of good to fix the world’s most formidable challenges.”

Accepting the award in New York City from actress, advocate, and global ambassador for the UN Foundation Shot@Life campaign, Zoe Saldana, the team spoke about the collaborative effort:

“Common Ground and The Common Future Project are humbled by this extraordinary honour from the United Nations Foundation, which is a testament to the Little x Little campaign’s recognition that no one person, or action, is too small to change the world for the better,” said Little x Little spokespeople, Ogilvy Worldwide Chief Communications Officer Jennifer Risi and Sapient Razorfish Chief Creative Officer Anthony Yell.

“We’re thrilled to see how the Little x Little campaign has connected with the Generation Z audience on YouTube, helping fuel millions of small acts that can change the world. We jumped at the opportunity to partner with Common Ground as a way to amplify an unprecedented agency collaboration focused on societal change for the better. This UN Foundation Global Leadership Award is a testament to their teamwork, creativity and resolve,” said Torrence Boone, VP, Global Client Partner, Google.

Kathy Calvin, President and Chief Executive Officer of the United Nations Foundation, said: “Common Ground is a great example of what can be accomplished when competitors become collaborators to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and create lasting change. The Little x Little initiative not only raises awareness of the global goals, but it inspires action for a better world. That’s the true power of advertising.”

For over 50 years, the Global Leadership Dinner has recognised individuals and organisations including President Barack Obama, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, His Highness the Aga Khan, Malala Yousafzai, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Mars Inc., Paul Polman, Walgreens and Bill and Melinda Gates.

Launched by the world’s six largest advertising holding companies (Dentsu, Havas, IPG, Omnicom, Publicis Groupe and WPP) at the 2016 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Common Ground represents a working partnership that transcends commercial rivalry to: accelerate the achievement of the SDGs; demonstrate to the industry and world that the goals are of universal importance and require universal contribution; and inspire other industries to follow suit.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
In September 2015, UN Member States unanimously adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, focused on the three interconnected elements of economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protection. With 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at its core, the Agenda is universal, integrated and transformative and aims to spur actions that will end poverty, reduce inequality and tackle climate change between now and 2030. www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment

Further information
Rebecca Schmidt, Ogilvy
+1 212 884 4067