Jason Kowal, Principal and Co-Founder of Global Thinking had a good reason to get involved. Two daughters.
In the spring of 2014, Shared Hope contacted Jason and his team about helping launch the Demanding Justice Project campaign website, a site that serves to expose buyers convicted of purchasing sex with minors. At the conclusion of the call, we determined our vision might be just too large for our budget. In less than 24 hours, Jason’s team contacted us and said they were not only willing, but wanted, to take on the project.
Check out how this marketing expert put his skills and resources to work to fight demand.
Team members not pictured – Tifa Kerbal and Will Paul.
SHI: What is Global Thinking?
Jason: Global Thinking is a creative agency based in Alexandria, Virginia. The vast majority of our business is for private companies, we work for multi-national companies doing all types of marketing work from branding to digital strategy to campaign marketing. As an organization we have been committed to devoting a significant portion of our time to causes we believe in and those include non-profits and local business that we know and love and want to help. In the case of Shared Hope, we saw the opportunity; we saw a great need for a voice that was fitting the cause.
SHI: I know we made a rather bold request of you and your team to help with the Demanding Justice Project to expose buyers of sex with children. We had a large vision, tight budget and timeline and difficult subject matter. But you decided to stand with us and dedicate time, passion and creativity to accomplish what has become one of our most powerful and inspiring projects to date. Why?
Jason: I have to be honest, it was not an easy decision to make, but it was an impossible decision to walk away from. While we were considering what could be done, we were only considering doing this the right way. While I was working with my team we discussed how to bring DJP into the stream of projects we do. Fortunately, we’ve had enough success since starting that we’re able to take on some amount of work purely out of love and this was a case like that. I think the two factors that specifically came into play were the things I kept coming back to: this wasn’t just a subject that needed attention, it was the right thing to do. We really wanted to be involved. The second part, which affected me personally, is that I have two daughters who are the same age as some of the girls who are affected by this crime. So, I have a reminder every night. I think it’s true of a lot of the people who worked on the project. It’s important to note that there was a team who worked on it, who were equally passionate about it and wanted to put every bit of extra effort to make sure we had a fantastic end product.
SHI: Do you have any advice for others in business who may be interested but are wondering how to get involved?
Jason: When you are evaluating your decision on what types of business to get involved in, you have to ask yourself: do I want to be doing the same thing every day for the same clients? Does it really matter if it personally affects me? Does it affect me because I’m human? That’s why we do what we do at Global Thinking. When we’re evaluating every opportunity that comes before us rather than asking, how is this going to affect me, we ask how am I going to affect others?
SHI: This can be a challenging topic to work on. What part of this project was most impactful for your team?
Jason: The statistics about demand aren’t ones you forget quickly. The magnitude of the problem affected how people felt about the work in a positive way. There is also a real benefit that comes back to the group that works on a project like this; they push the boundaries on what they are comfortable working on. Really, it’s a way people can come together and come up with great ideas.
How have you been inspired to engage in the battle to stop trafficking? Leave us a comment below.
