National Geographic
A Small Light

Advertising   |   Featured Key Art

Finding light
in history’s
darkest hours

We were honored to create a wide-ranging campaign for the National Geographic series A Small Light, inspired by the true story of Miep Gies, the woman who helped hide Anne Frank’s family during WWII—and preserved her diary in the process. Our key art, character posters, and video assets captured the series’ nuance and depth, inspiring global audiences to discover the brightness and humanity that these real-life heroes preserved in a time of great darkness.

CHALLENGE
Following Miep’s relatively unknown story was a fresh way of telling the Franks’ story. Our key art needed to keep the focus on her while honoring the experience of Anne, Otto, and other characters.

INSIGHT
Just as the creators of A Small Light do, we knew that it was important to strike a balance of tragedy and resilience, fear and courage, despair and hope. We sought to capture the nuance and depth of each character with simplicity and impact across our key art and video campaigns.

APPROACH
We created a series of character posters and video assets that spotlighted each of the incredible actors featured on the series, as well as their characters’ names. This allowed us to highlight the series’ talent and historical context while keeping the focus on the brightness and humanity of each character—to, as the series says, “Find light moments in times of darkness.”

“SJI Associates brought this campaign to life with bold, powerful creative that extended across a number of high-profile placements and platforms. The visuals were true to the era but modern in their execution with an arresting tone.” Brian Everett Vice President Design, National Geographic & Disney Branded Television
A Small Light Poster by SJI Associates

HIGH VISIBILITY
A sweeping out-of-home campaign featured large-scale placements across the country. In New York City, A Small Light illuminated Times Square and appeared throughout major transportation hubs, including a takeover of the Oculus at World Trade Center station, serving over 250,000 commuters daily.

DIGITAL CAMPAIGN
The extensive campaign reached beyond OOH to print ads in major newspapers and a digital blitz, calling viewers to action with home page takeovers, roadblocks and banners across major news sites, streaming providers and smart TV platforms.

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