Ogilvy creates video CVs for acid-attack survivors

The campaign #SkillsNotScars takes viewers and potential employers to a page - an online employment exchange - created for acid-attack survivors.

Building on the success of its #EndAcidSale campaign for Make Love Not Scars (MLNS), Ogilvy has launched another thought provoking campaign to benefit the cause of acid-attack survivors. The #EndAcidSale campaign, featuring acid-attack survivor Reshma Qureshi, was released in September last year, and it went on to win accolades at Cannes, D&AD Impact Awards, and Spikes Asia among others.

The new leg of the campaign, #SkillsNotScars, shows acid-attack survivors present their skills to potential employers through a video CV. After stating standard information about themselves and their skills, these women end their video CV by saying that they could have well emailed a written out CV like any other candidate but they created a video of it so that their potential employer could also see their acid-scarred faces, while hoping that this will not hinder their chances of getting the job.

The films end with the thought, 'When you hire acid-attack survivors, you help them fight back'.

Commenting on the insight, Kainaz Karmakar and Harshad Rajadhyaksha, executive creative directors, Ogilvy Mumbai, say, "Acid-attack survivors face the unfairness of the world cringing at the sight of their scarred faces. A huge part of the fight back against this evil, is for society to accept these innocent victims back into the social fold. And there can be no greater support than to look beyond their scars and employ these girls for the skills they bring to the table."

The videos take viewers and potential employers to a page - an online employment exchange - for hiring various acid-attack survivors.