2013 Winners & Shortlists

Results and Effectiveness

In literally 4 days, the viral video got more than 250,000 views out of a 1.3 million online community . Malicious gossip even caught the sharp attention of LBCI's direct competitors who unanimously covered the scandal, on their 8 o'clock news and through influential bloggers. With optimized launch awareness, it was brought to life with maximized impact and with the media support it had asked for in the first place, only charge free.

Creative Execution

The premeditated cat fight footage that soon became talk of the town was released online to divert the drama and later on initiate the launch of LBCI’s new drama station. Since Lebanese people have a passion for gossip and ache for spreading rumors, it was inevitable to exploit that social phenomenon to our advantage. With almost no budget at all, the scandalous brawl was orchestrated, employing one of the famous and glamorous Lebanese actresses Ward El Khal, and shot with an amateur camera. It was then anonymously posted online for people to discover it as an actual celebrity fight, and do the job of sharing it and intensifying the buzz around it. 6 days later, and to the surprise of all, LBCI announced it would unveil the truth behind the viral fight. The star who never answered any query during the dramatic week revealed the truth on the main news bulletin. Drama now has a screen. LBCI Drama.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

When LBCI approached other TV stations to buy media time for the launching campaign, all of them refused to run it. In the midst of this "dramatic" turn of events, LBCI was to launch its new thematic station LBCI Drama , with maximized media attention for better nationwide reach. Contextually, Lebanese citizens have developed a great passion and need for sharing emotional, exciting or unexpected events, which happens to be Webster’s definition of Drama. We were to launch the new station, based on that social truth and by using an alternative media strategy given the obstacle that faced the station in its initial strategy. By giving people a juicy dose of drama and placing it where they’d inevitably bump into it, we’d grab their full attention, become the talk of the town with a ripple effect that would reach various media to finally introduce the newly born station.