2014 Winners & Shortlists

Brief Explanation

The Challenge: To create the entire gamut of advertising communication spanning Invitations, Sponsorship Letters, Postcards, Flyers, and others, approved by the Ministry of Information, the Ministry of Culture and Heritage plus, obtaining the necessary permissions in advance from the Muscat Municipality, or from the regional Municipalities of the respective zones where the plays were to be staged. The Key Objective: To create hype and drama around the famous English play to a wide section of audiences and also to attract sponsors by using an unique and refreshing style of communication, plus to make the whole event a truly unforgettable one

The Brief

The client NPA Events were to stage the English theatrical play 'Dear Liar' by Jerome Kilty, based on the 40-year correspondence between George Bernard Shaw, the world-renowned playwright, and Mrs. Patrick Stella Campbell, a celebrated English actress. The brief was to make the communication unique and appealing to the select target group of English theatre enthusiasts and to encourage participation from others, including the many non native English speakers, like Arabs, who may not be familiar with this art form. The communication had to cut across categories and must appeal to not only the audience but more importantly the sponsors.

How the final design was conceived

Various options were discussed and debated while brainstorming before arriving at the 'big idea' ! It was agreed that the best way to promote and present the entire communication campaign would be to adopt the ancient technique of 'epistolary' style, which synced perfectly well with the theme of the play. Extending the idea, all the communication such as the Sponsorship Docket; Invitation Letters; Entry Tickets; Play Synopsis and the other elements were recreated and written in customised letter form of days gone by. Lastly, specially hired ushers were attired as 'Postmen' who delivered the invitations and other materials.

Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market

The Sponsors received the Sponsorship Dockets, hand delivered by special 'Postmen'. Customised postage stamps representing different values and featuring the pictures of the protagonists were affixed on manila envelopes with the ‘Registered Post’ and ‘Do Not Bend’ postal markings. The audience were mesmerised by the personalised letters which were actually the invitation cards. The press went gaga over the innovative and unique way the entire event was packaged and presented. Even Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak-Shah, who played the roles, appreciated the theme saying that they have never seen anyone else employ such an innovative way of presenting their play.