“The day after I took them out, the bridge was blown up”, says Oksana – **a driver from Ukraine who drove throughout the invasion to rescue people unable to evacuate. She is just one of several brave Ukrainian drivers on the Uber platform releasing their stories today as part of the **Keep Ukraine Moving global campaign.
Created by Ukrainian agency Banda and Ukrainian director Oleg Tomin, the project features the stories of **Oksana, Dima** and **Pasha** who drive with Uber, and aims to raise donations for United24, President Zelenskyy's main Ukrainian foundation.
The campaign will be promoted within the Uber app across more than 10 countries and across Uber's media channels globally. All donations will go to a charity providing the Ministry of Health of Ukraine with funds for urgently needed ambulances – with Uber matching donations up to $1 million.
"We combed through the news, tweets, and posts, conducted personal interviews, and discovered a plethora of breathtaking stories. A man drove an elderly couple from Kyiv to the Polish border for 26 hours. Naturally, for free. And a man who evacuated residents of Bucha while Russians were present. And a woman who went right up to the front lines to rescue a family with two children and three cats. For the campaign, we chose to feature three drivers. But stories like theirs happen all the time in Ukraine. Thousands that we are completely unaware of", — said creative Director of Banda, Rick Serdiuk.
«After nine months of full-scale war, the heroic people of Ukraine need our support more than ever. Ukrainian drivers have kept their country moving through times of unimaginable hardship and this is a way to share their stories of selfless bravery with the world. Through the ‘Keep Ukraine Moving’ campaign we hope to rally global support and much needed funds for ambulances, with Uber matching donations up to $1 million», — said Anabel Diaz, Uber’s Regional General Manager of Mobility EMEA.
While the war is Ukrainians reality, for most of the world it’s already just the news headlines. People get used to someone else's wars. With on the ground operations in Ukraine, Uber has been in a unique position to know what Ukrainians are going through. People need transportation more than ever, and despite the deadly threat, drivers continue to provide it.
Dealing with such delicate subject as war stories it was crucial to collaborate with people who understand the context. That's why the Uber team sought out a Ukrainian agency to handle the task. Banda, who has previously worked with Uber Ukraine, recently made a global “Be brave like Ukraine” campaign, and was named the most effective independent agency in the world in 2020 — was responsible for the concept and content development.
The production of the campaign was unique and also showed the bravery of the crew. Everything was done in Ukraine, by Ukrainians, literally under bombshells and air alarms. A shooting day had to end by 6 pm so that the crew could return home before the curfew. Sometimes the dubbing of videos was stopped because of Russian missile attacks at Kyiv.
Such campaigns are the greatest way for global brands to talk about the situation in Ukraine, collaborate with Ukrainians, to support them and tell the world unique stories of Ukrainian bravery.
Keep Ukraine moving.
<aside> 📌 You can download visual materials and videos by link. You can also find videos on our YouTube channel.
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Banda – is a creative agency working as one studio in Kyiv and Los Angeles. It specializes in creating brands and advertising campaigns. Recipients of multiple Cannes Lions and the Red Dot Design Award. Banda made Ukraine’s largest international marketing campaign "Ukraine NOW". Launched in 2018, it’s goal is to create and expand Ukraine’s image worldwide, improve tourism and attract investments to the country.