• by Fern Siegel , June 21, 2023

Global payments company WorldRemit is launching a nationwide ad campaign in the U.K. this summer to illustrate migrants contributions to their new country.

The I*m Migrant campaign, by OLIVER, is a cross-media effort comprising TV spots on ITV and Sky News, radio, digital out-of-home and OOH, as well social media.

Crossmedia is in charge of media planning. 

The creative centers on 15 migrants in the UK, as well as their country of origin. Among those featured is Oladapo ‘Daps’ Fagbenle, a Nigerian-born British artist and video director, who has worked with Google, Nike and musical artists Drake and Nicki Minaj. Mariah Idrissi, a British-Pakistani-Moroccan model, the first to wear a hijab in an ad campaign for H&M, is also profiled.

Their stories can be found on here.

Alongside people in the arts, there are migrants who work in an array of areas, including health care, science, education and nonprofits. The campaign focuses on all their contributions.

Simon Martin, CEO of OLIVER, said: "In the media, people are confronted with the word 'immigrant' and it’s nearly always in a negative light. It is important to highlight the benefits migration brings as a crucial part of the debate."

The campaign was developed to offer a different perspective to an often-controversial subject.

As of 2018/19, migrants were reported, on average, to have contributed more than $25 billion in net contributions to the UK tax and benefits system, according to The Migration Observatory. Moreover, migrants have a significant impact on the economies of their home nations.

By 2030, the U.N. estimates $2 trillion will have been saved or invested through remittances.

Founded in 2010 by Ismail Ahmed, a Somalian immigrant to the UK, WorldRemit is the U.K.’s first black-owned Unicorn. It helps migrants send money across borders. The company is part of The Zepz Group, which powers global remittance brands WorldRemit and Sendwave.

“As society becomes more divided on issues surrounding identity, the migrant population remains a target for stereotypes, negative sentiment and misconceptions,” said Patrick Stal, Chief Marketing Officer, WorldRemit. "We will be putting a face to their impact ... hopefully helping them stand up to the racism and xenophobia they face every day."