How impact differs from "social ads"
A classic public service ad informs people about a problem. An impact project is designed from the outcome: what should change after someone sees it? A donation subscription, willingness to get a check-up, a conversation with loved ones, a new understanding of the subject.
The British organisation Doc Society, one of the leaders in this field, in its Impact Field Guide describes impact as a strategy built in from the very start of a project: alongside the story, the team plans audiences, partners and the ways the film will "work" after its premiere.
What an impact project is made of
- Story. A strong protagonist and clear dramaturgy — without them nothing works.
- Format. A film, a series of videos, an archive website, an exhibition, a book. Often several formats at once: that way the project lives longer and reaches different people.
- Partners. Foundations, NGOs, museums, media, business. They bring expertise, venues and audiences.
- Action. A clear next step for the viewer: help, learn more, tell their own story.
Cases
StoryCorps. The American project records conversations between ordinary people, and animated shorts based on them are shown on public television. The archive of voices became a media event and a form of collective memory.
Flee. The animated documentary about a refugee was accompanied by screenings and discussions with human rights organisations: the film became a tool for talking about migration.
NFB (Canada). For years the National Film Board has been collecting films and interactive projects about the experience of immigrants and refugees — an example of how an institution builds a long thematic collection.
Russia. The Dom s Mayakom foundation and Petrick studio released a video about palliative care for children; the Obraz Zhizni foundation made a series of cartoons about mutual help. In our own practice there is a video for Liza Alert and X5 Group about bracelets for people who get lost, and a cartoon for the Predanie foundation about Nastya, who was helped to buy a bicycle. In the second case we deliberately told a story not about need but about help that has already changed a life — this motivates more strongly than pity.
Trends
- Multiplatform. One project — several entry points: a film for festivals, short videos for social media, an archive website, an offline exhibition.
- Archives and participation. The audience doesn't just watch but brings its own stories — as in our project BadGoodDad.
- Animation instead of filming where anonymity and care matter.
- Partnership with business, for which a social theme becomes part of the brand rather than a one-off campaign.
Want to make a project that changes something? Tell us about your subject — we'll start with research.