Ukraine ad agencies are responding to Russia's invasion—an inside look

Many Ukraine-based ad agencies have stopped all client work since the Russian invasion started last week, and instead are focused on helping the Ukraine government with its communications and advertising efforts for the war and fighting disinformation that they say has been spread by Russia.

“We are ready to fight to the death, [for our freedom]” Igor Potievsky, CEO of Kyiv-based digital agency Mediahead said, explaining the mindset of Ukrainians as Russia continues to invade the country. 

Over the past two days, Ad Age interviewed executives from six Ukraine-based agencies to give their first-hand perspective on what is happening in the country, how they are helping the war efforts, evading danger, and to get their perspective on how other countries can help. 

“Creative teams, account managers, and all who can work are now creating content that highlights the ugly truths of this war - disassembling the fictional reality designed and upheld by Russian propaganda,” said Yurii Gladkyi, founder and CEO at creative marketing agency Grape.

Several agencies—including Banda Agency, Grape, and Bickerstaff.734—are working with the Ukraine government to target Russians who they say may not know the truth about the attacks. Campaigns are also targeted towards citizens of Belarus who have recently began to support Russia’s invasion efforts.

Ukraine agency ISD Group put together a global brief that serves as a call to action for creatives to create campaigns in support of Ukraine, with one line stating: “Your work may not win Cannes, but it will help save the lives of millions.” 

Kyiv-based agency Banda created a compilation of videos and photos taken from across the internet and shot on phones, that show the destruction that Ukraine citizens are facing. The video includes a voiceover that starts with the line, “Ukraine is now, and now is special.” The video goes on to call viewers to action and ends with the words “Ukraine now is all of us.”

The video currently has nearly 2 million views on Banda’s Instagram page.

“We have air bombings and missiles, which hit our residential areas, our kindergarten schools, and more,” said Dmitry Adabir, Banda's chief business officer. “It's real, and I think everyone in the world should understand that.”

The video uses the slogan and part of the script from a Ukraine branding campaign that Banda created in 2018 to show people what Ukraine has to offer. “I think that our value as a country is freedom,” Adabir said. “This value is very strong. We don't want to be a part of Russia. We are talented and creative. We have a lot of very interesting people here and we can be part of the modern world; that’s what we are fighting for.”

Beyond creating campaigns and content, all of the executives interviewed said that agency employees are helping out however they can. For example, Bickerstaff has a strategist that is working with the Red Cross; a designer who volunteered to be a part of Ukraine’s territorial defense efforts; an art director who helps refugees find housing abroad; and an account manager that bakes bread for several Ukrainian shops. Banda has created safety hubs for its employees to stay in if needed, while Grape and Mediahead employees have donated money to the Ukraine army along with assisting in evacuation and relocation efforts.

Keeping safe

“It was about 5:00 a.m and my wife’s colleague called her and asked, if she could skip work today, because, she lives not too far from Kyiv, and she woke up to some very huge explosions because Russia started bombing some objects there,” Adabir recounts. “Then we looked out the window and saw huge explosions near the river on the second part of Kyiv and we understood that war started.”

Adabir and his family decided to relocate to Western Ukraine to what he referred to as an “unbuilt” house which he said has no furniture and includes just the essentials such as beds and clothes. Prior to leaving, Adabir says he and his co-workers went to the office, with backpacks ready, to receive what could possibly be their last check for the next few weeks, and anything else they might need.

Some of Banda’s 85 employees have had to relocate or have left the country altogether, which is something Adabir doesn’t want to do, but will consider if it becomes necessary. It’s a similar story for another Kyiv-based agency, Bickerstaff, which launched last year and has 17 employees, five of which left the country, and eight moved to other cities in Ukraine. 

For the most part, agency employees have been able to remain in contact through the use of apps like Slack, Telegram, and Whatsapp. 

Bickerstaff’s founder and creative director, Ilia Anufrienko, said communication with employees hasn’t changed much since there was a lockdown in Kyiv, but some “rituals” have formed, such as contacting a colleague’s friends, relatives, or partners if the colleague isn’t reachable for a long period of time. “Fortunately, so far the reason for these absences have been uncharged gadgets and the inability of the employee to leave a bomb shelter,” Anufrienko explained. 

Alexandra Doroguntsova, creative director at Banda Agency, said she had to put her baby in a safe location minutes before her call with Ad Age because an alert was issued where she was staying. “For me, it feels like the only chance to stop this is from the inside,” she said. 

Reaching out

Executives at Ukraine agencies are asking brands to close offices in Russia to show their support and donate to the organizations such as United for Ukraine and the Red Cross in Ukraine. Banda Agency has also put together a list of ways people can show their support.

“Ukraine’s army and people are strong, and I am sure that we will win, it’s only a matter of time,” Potievsky said.