Leo Burnett is taking a stand against Donald Trump‘s widely-criticized executive order on immigration, which prompted protests and legal action by the ACLU. The agency’s website now redirects to a burnettleo.com, with a message which reads from right to left (which is how Arabic writing is read) as a sign of solidarity with Muslims who face persecution and prejudice under Trump: “We are all human. Any way you look at us.”
The site calls on visitors to type their own message of solidarity with a button that reverses the writing for a tweet.
A video on the site explains the message behind #ReverseForKindness.
The effort was organized by the agency’s recently-appointed North American CEO, Andrew Swinand, who earlier in the week requested that Leo Burnett employees change their job titles on LinkedIn to read “Human Being” as a show of solidarity against the controversial and possibly unconstitutional immigration ban.
Swinand’s own listing describes his job title as such, as does that of recently-appointed chief marketing officer Katie Newman. At least one creative took the alternate step of using the title for their actual name.
“One of the great blessings I have received in my life has been the opportunity to work globally and travel to over 50 countries,” Swinand explained in a LinkedIn statement. “In these travels, I was fortunate enough to work with and get to know a huge variety of people from a wide variety of backgrounds and countries.”
After reflecting on how to address the issue, the agency “made a decision on Monday to perform an act across the Leo Burnett network in the U.S. An act to demonstrate that we are united in common values of humanity, bravery, and kindness. An act to demonstrate our shared belief that together, our passion, creativity, and work can not only change human behavior, but create a lasting impact of good.”