• by Larissa Faw , July 29, 2019

Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) is leveraging its talents and resources for a multifaceted pro-bono campaign designed to help under-served communities impacted by natural disasters.

The integrated, two-part campaign kicks off by first recruiting the U.S. legal community to commit their services at DisasterLegalAid.org. Administered by Pro Bono Net, DisasterLegalAid.org is a joint effort of Lone Star Legal Aid, Pro Bono Net, the American Bar Association’s Center for Pro Bono, the Legal Services Corporation and the National Legal Aid & Defender Association.

The platform will mobilize legal professionals in the aftermath of a disaster to help disaster-impacted communities get free legal aid and self-help resources.

Fetch, DAN’s global full-service mobile agency, produced the creative, including videos, display-ads and social content. These creative executions will ask: “Can they count on you?” as well as “Communities are counting on your skills – will you help them?” and “Are you with us?”

To raise awareness, the project will utilize a cross-agency approach to secure ad serving and inventory donated from partners, says a DAN representative. DAN's insight-based agency M1 will place media across platforms such as Facebook, NinthDecimal, Viant, Teads and LiveIntent.

Activation will be handled across DAN's programmatic specialists Amnet, Amplifi, Accordant and Merkle.

The campaign's second phase will utilize the same approach and agency partners, but will target communities and individuals needing legal services.

While this issue became a rallying point across the entire network, this particular cause was driven by two DAN individuals: Kathleen Dowse, director, program management and global communication, Carat, and Miri Miller, associate general counsel, Americas, DAN.

"As a member of the legal community, I understand we are uniquely suited to help communities struggling to recover from natural disasters," says Miller. "Too often those who need the most help, get the least assistance because they don’t know where to turn." She stresses that although the campaign coincides with hurricane season, it offers relief for victims all types of natural disasters.

Miller explains this pro bono initiative is part of DAN's broader commitment to tackling the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s), or more specifically, #16, Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions and #10, Reduced Inequalities. All legal problems can have a spiraling effect on individuals, families and communities, causing employment, housing and education instability, as well as deterioration of health and well-being. These issues are amplified in the aftermath of a natural disaster, states Miller.

Although the project initially will focus on the U.S., Miller says there are discussions about expanding it globally.