Giant Bank Notes Float Through Rio de Janeiro to Spotlight Corruption at G20

Transparency International has put the issue of corruption on the agenda ahead of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro this week, with a guerilla campaign involving a team of paragliders and one of the city’s most famous beaches.

Devised by INNOCEAN Berlin, 'Money Gliders' kicked off on Friday 15th November. It saw six paragliders, all printed to look like dollar bills, flying over Rio de Janeiro and landing on Barra da Tijuca Beach on a banner reading “How obvious should corruption be before it’s a G20 priority?”

Following on from the guerilla activity, INNOCEAN Berlin has created a launch film, published today, highlighting Transparency International’s concerns, with the aim of getting a wider audience to support its #G20TakeAction campaign. It features the 'Money Gliders', including footage shot by the pilots themselves, and how the gliders were made.

Transparency International, the global movement to end the injustice of corruption, teamed up with INNOCEAN Berlin for this campaign in frustration at successive G20 Summits failing to treat the issue as a high priority. The organisation argues that all of G20’s goals – including sustainability and economic growth – are undermined by corruption, which costs the global economy US$3.6 trillion annually.

INNOCEAN Berlin collaborated with local partners on the campaign. The specially printed gliders and beach banner were produced by Mídias Inovadoras, which specialises in what it calls “paramedia”, while the film was made in partnership with Corazon Filmes and Handmaker, both part of the FCM Group.

Maíra Martini, head of policy and advocacy at Transparency International, said, “Dirty money puts sustainable development at risk but once again corruption is being given the silo-treatment and pushed to the margins of the G20 agenda. So we briefed INNOCEAN Berlin with creating a stunt that would be impossible to ignore – and with ‘Money Gliders’ they’ve done an amazing job.”

Gabriel Mattar, chief creative officer at INNOCEAN Berlin, said, “Transparency International’s brief was to make corruption visible in a way that can't be ignored, just like the impact it has on all of our lives. The Money Gliders, like dollar bills raining down from the sky, struck us as a powerful symbol of how pervasive dirty money is. We’re very proud to help Transparency International deliver such an urgent message ahead of the G20 summit.”