2014 Winners & Shortlists

The Brief

Haret Hreik is a Hezbollah stronghold that has witnessed 4 suicide bombings in less than 6 months and is therefore a region that everyone avoids in Lebanon. Flower Town is a flower shop located at the heart of this “Death Zone” and needed to break the wall of fear to drive sales on the shop’s most grossing day: Valentine’s Day.

Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation

Flower Town’s main clientele emanated exclusively from Haret Hreik. The ultimate goal of the campaign was therefore to attract customers from outside this city, in order to increase sales on this occasion. Naturally, people living outside Haret Hreik are dreadful when it comes to visiting the area, which meant that our idea had to build on that specific tension point. Therefore, The idea emanated from a very simple but powerful dare: “Would you die for your beloved?” With a simple visual execution, people were asked to come to Haret Hreik, check in and buy a flower that had a green pin on it, proving they made the trip to Haret Hreik.

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

Within 48 hours, the dare became viral. The Flower Town Facebook page scored 1800 in 3 days, which is something huge in Lebanon, let alone for a tiny shop in Haret Hreik. People instantly shared the online Ad, given the universal insight that lies in the dare. Leading TV stations covered the story in their Prime Time news bulletin while the press and influential bloggers instantly covered the viral dare. Flower Town’s yearly sales increased by 30% in one day, with people coming from all over Lebanon to prove their love.

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

Every lover claims to do the impossible to prove their love to their other half. Challenging people to actually go to a location that is labeled as a “Death Zone” was a real way to prove that one would do anything for love. Moreover, the rose is the universal icon representing Valentine’s Day which made our dare spot on given the occasion that builds on love, betting on the typical showoff attitude and the pride that are anchored in the Lebanese DNA. Also, the urge to break the barriers of fear that surrounded Haret Hreik was identified as a main factor that would spur people’s reaction to the online message.