MONDAY 28 JUN 2021 2:23 PM

LENS: CITIZEN

The ‘When You Look at Me’ campaign from Citizen features employees speaking directly to the camera and confronting viewers’ internal prejudice. It works to communicate the company’s commitment to improving diversity and inclusion to internal and external audiences.

Citizen is a non-profit organisation, which owns and manages 30,000 homes for diverse communities across the West Midlands. This campaign aims to showcase the company’s commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.

Using Citizen colleagues against a plain background provides a clear space for the internal team to speak up about the way their company is run. It also connects internal audiences and boosts employee engagement, while making a visual statement to external stakeholders.

The employees ask viewers to imagine what it would feel like to be judged and treated differently because of race or appearance. The team members read a line of speech at a time, combining to make a poetic collective statement. ‘Imagine someone treating you differently and making you feel like you’re strange’ says one team member, while another says ‘If you’ve ever experienced it, you will know.’

The campaign highlights the differences in the way people think about identity. Citizen says this social media campaign is just the start for the company as it plans to launch new initiatives and projects to tackle the challenges within its organisation and community.