Launching Global Mercy, globally.

Developing a 360 launch campaign for Global Mercy, the World’s first purpose-built civilian hospital ship.

Mercy Ships is an international charity that operates the largest non-governmental hospital ships in the world. They provide humanitarian aid like free healthcare, community development projects, community health education, mental health programs, agriculture projects, and palliative care for terminally-ill patients.
Mercy Ships has operated in more than 57 developing nations and 18 developed nations around the world, with a current focus on the countries located in Africa.

Our Role

Our role was to develop a 360 launch campaign for Global Mercy, the world’s first purpose-built civilian hospital ship.
Our tasks involved:
Crafting its identity design
Creating content for its on-ground communications, social media assets, and promotional materials
And curating a physical, online, and virtual experience for its launch.

Additionally, we also helped them on-board a TV studio to cover the launch, and with city-wide branding at Rotterdam City.

The Responsibilities

But all said and done, creating communications to spread the word about Global Mercy was only half the job. The other half was to

Raise awareness about Mercy Ships
Share its numerous success stories with the world
Inspire new volunteers to sign up
Help raise donations to further its cause
And finally, shine the spotlight on the dedicated staff who make it all happen.

Our Solutions

Mercy Ships is the hallmark of hope and healing for developing and developed nations worldwide.

Our job was to capture the spirit of their philanthropic endeavours through offline, online, as well as virtual experiences for their viewers. In addition to spreading the word about the launch of their newest ship - Global Mercy, we had to simultaneously get their audience excited and inspired to volunteer for the cause.

And it all started with a single word - Transformation.

Coming on board the Global Mercy transforms your perspective. Additionally, it also gives you an opportunity to transform the lives and futures of others too. Therefore, we made transformation the basis of its visual identity.

Using shapes that blend the nautical and African aspects of Global Mercy, we created Mercy Ships’ visual language to celebrate its crew, volunteers, and patients. In other words, the humans behind its superhuman endeavours.

Shooting for its content in the middle of a global lockdown was not easy. But thanks to some creative problem-solving, we successfully shot in NYC, Togo, Senegal, and Antwerp.

The Results

The Global Mercy did indeed go global.
In addition to its massive global press coverage, more than 12.00 people visited the Global Mercy in Rotterdam. Among its many visitors were also members from the British and the Dutch royal families.
The sponsor dinner hosted by Italian opera star Andrea Bocelli turned out to be very profitable, boasting 10% more applications than anticipated.

Event Identity:
Come On Board

Mercy Ships’ event identity plays with the idea of transformation which occurs due to the simple act of coming on board. As a visitor, a volunteer, and/or as a sponsor.
The visual language is an amalgamation of nautical shapes and African patterns. The font treatment represents the transformational spirit of coming on board.

Experience Global Mercy: A Tour of Transformation

Meet Global Mercy, a decade in the making. Join your host and walk up to the gangway to enter the ship.

Making waves
Get transported from the hustle and bustle of Rotterdam into the world of Mercy Ships field service. Find out who are the people we all serve and why they are important.

Just one surgery
Watch patient Bernard undergo a life-affirming surgery, and witness its impact on himself, his family, his community, and the volunteers who worked with him.

Heart of transformation
Dr Mark Shrime, surgeon, opens his heart about the transformations that take place inside the operating theatre. Bear witness to the cutting-edge skills of the surgeons and facilities in this room, the beating heart of the Global Mercy.

Meet the crew
Explore the Global Mercy’s cabins, and meet the crew who will show you around and help you prepare for life onboard.

Together with Africa
Listen to hospital chaplain Clementine celebrate the wide impact of Mercy Ships, thanks to its supporters and governments, through the lens of key projects that have had a lasting legacy.

Dare to dream
Listen to Don and Deyon Stephens open up about Mercy Ships, their vision and its impact, and talk about living on board a ship as parents to young children.

Experience Global Mercy: A Digital Tour of Transformation

As a back-up for the Rotterdam tour, we also developed an online virtual experience for all those who could not make it to the event in person owing to COVID19 travel restrictions.
This digital tour, developed with our technical production partner Wirelab, strives to give you the same experience and information as the real-life tour. This 3D environmental experience lets you explore the ship, watch its videos, and read up about the Global Mercy.

Come On Board The Global Mercy.
Take your own tour at
experience.mercyships.org