We live in a hyper-connected world, one which allows us to communicate with people on the other side of the planet in a matter of seconds; that sees us able to fly from continent to continent and visit communities that differ from our own.

The global COVID pandemic and subsequent worldwide lockdowns however have put pain to the wanderlust, confining people to the four walls of their homes initially and now, quarantine’s pending, the borders of their countries. For many creatives, this has meant no flying around the world for shoots or shiny awards ceremonies, but instead leaning on virtual platforms to connect with their peers.

In the midst of this crisis School of Communication Arts graduates Ellie Daghlian and Elisa Czerwenka have decided to champion a global perspective, even under lockdown, aiming to work, virtually, on every continent in 14 days. The pair, who have just graduated from SCA 2.0, came up with the idea after working together throughout lockdown, despite being 800 miles apart; Daghlian in the UK and Czerwenka in Austria.

Dubbed The Creative Rally, the team have taken to their virtual van, securing work across every continent, even in Antarctica. The project has seen them work with Grey NY, Saatchi & Saatchi Tokyo, Advantage Namibia, Grey London, Mark Pollard, Havas Melbourne, Lew Lara TBWA, Penguin Watch in Antarctica, and BBDO Colenso. 

Laura Jordan Bambach, CCO of Grey London, booked the creative duo in for a brief and said of the pair that they were, “Utterly brilliant – brought eight great ideas to the table that were so fresh, managed a bit of primary research that went into the ideas and all put together neatly and so succinctly. Five out of five in my book!”

As the website so states of the project: “Got a boring brief you want taken care of? Done. Need a bit  of idea generation? They love it. Want to sell a smelly sock? They can do that too. They’ll tackle anything, for 24 hours, for free. They just want to work for you."

As the COVID crisis spread its way around the world, schools shut, placements dried up and young graduates had to fight for space in a totally digital world. But what emerged was work, campaigns and innovative projects like The Creative Rally that proved just how much creativity can thrive in a crisis.

For fellow creatives navigating an uncertain marketing landscape, the team’s advice is twofold:

1. Don't focus on what you can't do, focus on what you can. The entire world is so weird right now we have the chance to do things nobody has ever done before.

2. Although everyone is struggling in their own way in this crisis, people want to help each other where they can. Take advantage of that kindness and pay it back when it's your turn. 

Visit The Creative Rally’s website or follow the pair @Creative_Rally to find out more.