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. The distribution of intriguing odorant flyers to the residents of the area, was the first mobilizing step in a series of integrated events which were going to lead to the project cancellation.

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 and trigger the series of events that followed.

Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective.

A counter strategy was launched which consisted in organizing protests in favor of the parking and hanging banners with provocative, "pro-parking" messages around the garden. To mobilize the locals, odorant flyers with one side smelling like garden roses and the other like engine oil, were handed to them with a message asking them which smell they would prefer to have in their neighborhood. The flyers also invited them to join a protest against the construction of the parking. The response exceeded expectations with a huge number of residents coming to the protest and tearing down the provocative banners.

Results

This was the biggest turnout for any green protest in Lebanon. More than 40 leading media, local and regional, reported the story: TV, radio stations, newspapers and blogs, reaching 88% of the population and $400,000 worth of free media coverage, for a campaign which cost $56. People and bloggers, thinking the original provocative banners were real, shared the story which quickly became viral. Politicians intervened in favor of preserving the public garden and a concert was organized for support, forcing the municipality to cancel the construction of the parking lot thus saving one of Beirut’s last green escapes.