2013 Winners & Shortlists

Results and Effectiveness

With this unconventional use of online media, we demonstrated that you don't need a big budget to make a big impact on people. In one week alone, we tripled donations for Helping Hands. By using guerilla tactics online, we avoided media censorship yet also raised awareness on living conditions that were unknown to many. We gave Dubai residents a direct channel to change someone's life with the click of a button. And judging by the overwhelming response of emails and text messages to Helping Hands, people admired this undercover approach.

Creative Execution

In a country where media is monitored, revealing the truth on social issues is a tough challenge. So we had to go undercover and bypass media regulation altogether. Using one of the region's biggest housing portals, GNADS4U.com, which gets over one million visitors per month, we posted false luxury property ads. When home-seekers clicked to view more photos, we showed them a reality they never knew existed in their own city. From overcrowded bedrooms to inhumane bathrooms, we shocked people with the truth in an unexpected way. We then provided them with a direct channel to offer their support to labourers via donations on the Helping Hands website.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

Helping Hands is an independent charity based in Dubai. The objective was to expose the harsh living conditions of labourers, an ongoing plight that is unknown to many of us living in a city of luxury. With limited advertising budget, and low awareness among its target audience, Helping Hands needed an unconventional approach to spread its message. One that was disruptive enough to reach a high volume of people, yet powerful enough to drive them to help labourers. According to the latest reports, Dubai has reclaimed its title as the world’s strongest property market. With people on the lookout again for better housing, and having no idea how labourers live in their own city, this collective insight helped direct our creative approach and define our target audience.