2013 Winners & Shortlists

The Brief

Post the outrage that stemmed from the “Innocence of Muslims” trailer, the media seemed to focus solely on the violence which ensued. The small majority of Muslims, which were causing the havoc across the world, were once again ill representing the majority of Muslims. It was time to even the playing field and give the tolerant Muslims a voice and a much needed place in the conversation. As Qatar’s main telecom operator we wanted to allow people to express themselves on the subject in a peaceful and respectful manner that truly represents Islam and generate a prosperous dialogue.

Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation

With such a sensitive topic we didn’t want to add more fuel to the fire. As a result we kept our creative solution simple, straightforward and honest. We took over a wall (36 x 4 meters) at one of Doha’s busiest malls and asked people to write down their thoughts on the whole situation. We initially drove people to the activation by starting the conversation with our print and social media communication. We quickly realized that with the right timing and sensibility, the simplest and most honest creative idea can have the biggest impacts on people’s lives.

Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results

The response was overwhelmingly positive. Within a few hours people where gathering themselves around our wall. Filling up the wall with messages of peace, understanding and tolerance, the media closely covered the entire event and spread a much needed positive message in a clutter of doom and gloom headlines. A total of 1,322 messages where written down with the best ones being shared on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, with our top posts getting 2,806; 1640 and 2187 “likes” as well as hundreds of shares and comments. Furthermore, we brought Muslims and non-Muslims together in one physical space, which generated real human interaction and helped bring down walls of misconception.

Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service

As a telecom operator we seek to strengthen the ties between people. Qatar is a multi-cultural country where different cultures are aware of each other but don’t necessarily understand each other. The outrage of the few was causing a false representation of the Islamic values and its people, so it was important for the cohesiveness of the society that we generate a dialogue that lets people express themselves peacefully. As a telecom operator, we knew this was one of our responsibilities, no matter how daunting the task.