The story.

Striking, copy-led campaign created by Havas London teases the remarkable yet forgotten stories behind Britain’s unsung black heroes.

It was a total honour for Absolute to be the post partner and look after the edit and grade for Havas on their bold new promotional campaign for The Black Plaque Project – the initiative it co-created with Nubian Jak Community Trust to end the posthumous discrimination of Britain’s Black heroes. 

Just 1.6% of London’s official blue plaques celebrating notable figures of the past are dedicated to Black people. The Black Plaque Project seeks to rectify this discrepancy by installing specially designed black plaques across the capital to celebrate the lives of some of its many notable Black residents – who, despite their achievements, continue to be officially overlooked.

Comprising a series of striking outdoor and poster executions, immersive long copy print ads, social activations and a podcast series, the campaign proudly tells the remarkable, yet largely forgotten, stories behind Britain’s unsung Black heroes including Fanny Eaton, Ken ‘Snakehips’ Johnson and Justin Fashanu.

Four plaques have been installed since the project was launched at the start of November to mark the end of Black History Month and signal a commitment to the ongoing celebration of Black history throughout the entire year: pianist Winifred Atwell, the first Black person to have a number one hit in the UK, in Brixton, where she spent her early years in the capital; Len Dyke, Dudley Dryden and Tony Wade, the fathers of the Black hair care and beauty industry in the 1960s and among Britain’s first Black millionaires, in Tottenham, where they opened their first shop; Fela Kuti, the musician widely acknowledged as the pioneer of Afrobeat, in Greenwich where he studied at Trinity College of Music; and Errol Brown, the Jamaican-born front man of funk and soul band Hot Chocolate,at the legendary RAK Studios in St. John’s Wood, where he recorded the band’s seminal hit, You Sexy Thing.

Vicki Maguire, Chief Creative Officer at Havas London, says: “How could anyone hear about the woman who became the first to serve in the Royal Navy – by disguising herself as a man for more than a DECADE –and not itch to know more? Or the woman who inspired Elton to sit down at the piano? Or the ‘man who discovered Brixton’? It’s not just wrong that these stories have been forgotten from a historic and cultural point of view, but a travesty from a storytelling one – because they’re just so damn interesting. They deserve to be heard, just as these remarkable people deserve to be remembered.”

Dr Jak Beula, founder of the Nubian Jak Community Trust, adds: “Black history is British history. For generations, Black pioneers have been making positive, lasting change to the social fabric of this country, often in spite of systematic discrimination. Unfortunately, this discrimination persists to this day in the way we remember both these individuals and their remarkable achievements. That is why this campaign – to tell these stories, celebrate our rich, diverse past and to inspire future generations is so important. There are so many more stories that need to be told.”

The team.

Creative Agency: Havas London
CEO: Xavier Rees
Managing Director: Jennifer Black
Global Brand Director: Tamara Greene
Account Director: Sophie Amodio
Account Executive: Hannah Thomas
Chief Creative Officer: Vicki Maguire
Creative Partner: Andy Lockley
Copywriter: Ken Abalos
Art Director: Sam Adio
Head of Production: Ali Cooper
Agency Producer: Joseph Ogunmokun, Nikola Oksiutycz
Strategy Director: Ravi Matharu, Ally Chapman
Junior Strategist: Milan Zum Hebel, Asa Nowers
Head of Creative Services: Shaun Musgrove
Head of Design: Lorenzo Fruzza
Digital Design Director: Simon Baker
Diversity and Inclusion Manager: Bukola Garry
PR: Faye Raincock, Ollie Dearn

Production Company: HKX Productions
Director: Andy Lockley
Executive Producer: Lou Hardy
Producer: Adam Javes
Assistant producer: Phil Sheed
Content Creator: Simon Allinson
DoP: Felix Schmilinsky
Camera Operator: Jonathan Smith
Gaffer: Jonathan Smith
1st AC: Claire Smith
Sound Recordist: Ryan Windley
Runner: Liam Green
Camera Equipment: Filmstore

Post-production: Absolute Post
Editor: Tom Higgins
Colourist: Juliette Wileman
Executive Producer: Jenna Le Noury
Production Assistant: Ava Millard

Sound mix: Dave Williams
With special thanks to: Gregg White, MD, Envy Advertising

Podcast production: Unedited
Co-owner and Producer: Andrew Spence