2013 Winners & Shortlists

The Brief

Ksara is the oldest winery in Lebanon. It has more than 155 years of history that began with the discovery of Roman era wine caves in 1898. This campaign focuses on that moment. The core element of the creative execution was the diary upon which Father superior recorded the cave discovery. Its objective is to engage the online community to interact with the brand. The activation was supported by a TV, two print campaigns, an internet film, online banners, Facebook activation and on trade pack promotion campaigns. All leading to the micro-site in order to generate crowd-sourced content.

Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation

Chateau Ksara’s long-standing heritage needed to be retold to Lebanese consumers. An emotional link needed to be consolidated for a brand that was becoming a default option. We reminded consumers that Ksara is the first wine maker in Lebanon through the Original Story campaign. The late 19th century mood and feel was entirely recreated to help spread the message with accuracy. The digital diary is a byproduct of the campaign; it was created to link the ATL campaign with the online conversation. It is a storytelling platform that leverages a 19th century look on a 21st century medium.

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

Early results show the campaign achieved its main goal: To reposition Chateau Ksara as the original wine of Lebanon in the hearts and minds of its core consumers but also amongst an important new segment: the youth. The microsite, so far, generated significant traffic with more than 570,000 interactions while Facebook reached 2.5 million friends of fans. Interactions started to generate quality user generated content making Chateau Ksara one of the first regional brands to allow users from across different age groups to own a stake in its story. Amidst economic turmoil, Chateau Ksara enjoyed positive sales growth.

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

The wine consumer landscape in Lebanon changed in the last 10 years. The youth joined the veteran wine drinkers. This change in demographics had a direct impact on how the future successful wine brands communicate. Ksara accepted the challenge of having to engage in an online dialogue in a product category in which heritage is an important differentiator. The digital diary reveals all elements of the Original Story, but most of all it serves as an interactive tool that encourages all storytellers out there to provide their own version of the story.