2014 Winners & Shortlists

The Brief

The purpose of this campaign was to halt the transformation into a parking lot, of a public garden in Beirut. The strategy consisted in mobilizing the neighborhood against this project and having them join a big protest in and around the garden to force the municipality to cancel the project. Mobilization took place through the distribution of odorant flyers to the residents of the area, with one side smelling like garden roses and the other like engine oil, and a message asking them which smell they would prefer to have in their neighborhood. The flyer also invited them to join a protest against the parking project.

Creative Execution

The creative execution was relevant and effective on more than one front: - It intrigued the consumer and triggered his curiosity through engaging his sense of smell, which was totally relevant to the Park vs Parking issue. - It raised awareness in an unexpected way, about an issue most of the residents didn't know about, through giving them a foretaste of what would happen to their neighborhood should the parking replace the park, - It succeeded in mobilizing a huge number of locals to join the protest which finally lead to the cancellation of the event.

Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective.

A counter strategy was launched which consisted in hanging banners with provocative, "pro-parking" messages around the garden. The locals, responding to the invitation on the flyers, came in huge number to the protest and as they discovered the provocative banners, tore them down in anger. Photos of the event were shared on social media. Leading bloggers of Lebanon invited nature lovers to join the protest. On the day of protest, music bands, activists and local artists joined forces with the locals, who showed up with mocking banners. Every leading media reported the story.

Results

This was the biggest turnout for any green protest in Lebanon. Every leading media reported the story: TV, radio stations, newspapers and blogs, reaching 88% of the population and $400,000 worth of free media coverage. Politicians intervened and a concert was organized for support, forcing the municipality to cancel the construction of the parking lot and preserve the garden, thus saving one of Beirut’s last green escapes.