U. S. Embassy

Visa Fraud Awareness Campaign

Client: U. S. Embassy

The Visa Fraud Awareness “¡No! A los Coyotes” Campaign aimed to reach out men and children to seek out their rights legally without the assistance of rogue Coyotes/Human traffickers.

The Design and Marketing Strategy was created with Print and Media Design Campaign for the U.S. Embassy Visa Fraud Awareness Campaign. Along with a radio message during the months of the ¡NO! Acudas A Los Coyotes! at every local radio station, the campaign had a direct impact on more than 500,000+ people.

Campaign Strategy

Objective: Conduct an awareness campaign for the Mexican population that shows, in a friendly way, the risks of trying to cross the border into the United States illegally.

The Visa Fraud Campaign helped the targeted population of small Mexican Pueblos to protect themselves from "Coyotes". It provided information to target audiences to counter the belief that recruiters, document vendors, and/or purchase of false documents are needed to apply for temporary worker visas.

U. S. STATE Magazine

Target Audience:

● Men in Mexico between the ages 18-40 (target audience).
● Men that live in Mexican small towns outside of large cities.
● Men with partial educational background.
● Men in the United States that have illegally crossed the border to the U.S. and dealt with Coyotes (illegal traffickers).
● We gathered data on how they thought and perceived Coyotes and their likes and dislikes within concepts, designs and marketing strategies.

Demographic: Over 90% of the current immigration traffic to the USA are accounted to six (6) demographic areas, according to Mexico CONAPO. The Campaign visited three states in Mexico that have higher rates of migration to the United States during a four month period for each three-day weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday).

Creative Campaign

The Creative Campaign for the U.S. Embassy project “¡No! a los Coyotes” went through an intensive research based on:
● Vivid colorful culture
● Strong bond with country
● Strong family values
● Strong religious beliefs
● Diverse cultural history
● Colorful regional food

Space

● Plazas near churches and main center town plazas were chosen from a cultural and religious standpoint based on our target.
● A Tent complemented the ambience of the place with banners and graphics of the campaign message.
● The tent contained the key members of the operating personnel collecting data to create a friendly sense of communication.
● Activities, games, an informative marketing stations were around our facility to get people interested to interact and gain insight.
● An audio system played music and the radio jingle created for the campaign, to call even more attention from the crowd.
● Inflatable Street and Air balloons were used as landmarks to give visibility to the space from any point to the population.

The Caravan

● A Campaign caravan visited the most important public places and installed a roaming space to inform the population about the risks of trying to cross the border into the United States illegally.
● Vans with campaign graphics were used to transport equipment, materials and operating staff involved during activations.
● Crew was selected based on friendly and regional features, which made the target audience feel more comfortable speaking with each of them in each pueblo designated on the tour.

Radio & Theater

● Local media was used to publicize the event and invite people to attend.
● Radio spots were created mimicking a friendly one-on-one chat with a peer stating the warnings.
● Campaign van drove around main town street with speakers announcing event.
● Posters and street banners were hung in high trafficked areas by pedestrians and cars.

● An outdoor cinema movie was a main activity ending the day activities.
● An inflatable projection screen was installed after dark with audio and folding chairs surrounded by visual graphic materials at the base and sides.
● An audio system played music and radio jingle campaign, to call even more attention from people before the movie started.
● An informational motion graphic commercial was played before starting the function that showed all the risks and problems faced by immigrants trying to cross the border illegally.
● Towards the end, a family film was played that addressed the issue of migration.

Visual Aids

● Comic pamphlet, posters and street/wall banners were designed for target to understand message right away.
● A single animated character was designed to capture the viewer’s attention, by relating to them stating: “¡No juegues con tu vida!,” a well known Spanish slang meaning “Do not play with your life.”
● We used a Soccer ball as a giveaway to play on the double meaning of “Do not play with your life”
● The Two Coyotes symbolized being robbed, handing out fake documents and leading target audience into the dangerous desert with no water or protection.
● Personnel clothing apparel

Slogans & Color

Slogans were researched and created to reach the target audience on a one-on-one level, leading to a friendlier outreach.

● ¡Óyeme Cuate!
● ¡No juegues con tu vida!
● ¡NO! a los Coyotes

The colors, as well as the graphics and products in the marketing campaign, were derived from the patriotic flag. In turn, it allowed us to reach children as another target audience. Through the children we were able to find another outlet to grasp the attention of the fathers.

Icons

Icons were designed for target audience to understand the message right away:

● Stay away from Coyotes, do not seek their help.
● Do not pay for fake documents.
● Do not give up your personal documentation.
● Do not become a carrier of substances for others.

Design Feedback

● Target audience felt strongly that a folded pamphlet with less pages would better hold their attention.
● The “¡Óyeme Cuate!” appealed to target, they felt like it was a friend talking their language.
● Colors ignited a patriotic feeling.
● Animation style held their attention and they related with the characters in the desert.
● Target Audience said they loved the idea of a soccer ball giveaway and would definitely go in to get one and share pamphlet.

Giveaways

Soccer balls were imprinted with the logo and slogan due to our audience being male, children and latino descent who feel a strong bond with the international team sport of Futbol.

Conclusions

This was one of the most dynamic projects allowing our team to delve into the culture of Mexico. Through design we were able to contribute and help the population understand the risks of crossing the U.S. borders illegally with the help of Coyotes (Human Traffickers). The campaign allowed us to show how family and culture are so important. Our team was excited by the interest shown in the pueblos during the campaign. People shared their fears, questions and passions by reaching out to us stating their personal experiences. The participation and outcome of our target audience left many of them feeling more knowledgeable to continue their lineage and set a good precedent for their children.