2014 Winners & Shortlists

DON'T GO TO LEBANON

BrandMINISTRY OF TOURISM
Product/ServiceMINISTRY OF TOURISM
EntrantIMPACT BBDO Beirut, LEBANON
CategoryConsumer Services
Entrant Company IMPACT BBDO Beirut, LEBANON
Advertising Agency IMPACT BBDO Beirut, LEBANON

The Brief

Tourism is Lebanon's most vital industry and constitutes to this day the country's major source of revenue. Due to the ongoing political turmoil, and as the awaited touristic season was just about to begin in Lebanon, neighboring countries, alongside international authorities made it quite clear that Lebanon should not be considered as a touristic destination due to the many events, heavily shared on various media platforms. This made any comeback somehow impossible for the Ministry of Tourism, which found itself crippled at this crucial time of the touristic year.

Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation

The Ministry of Tourism needed to face that gloomy reality with a relevant yet unconventional approach, by creating a campaign that would somehow be tailored to this particular turn of events; a campaign that would trigger an emotional response from the potential tourists and Lebanese expatriates, despite the regional upset that was crippling the country

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

In less than a week, it gathered a half a million views and became the most viewed local TVC ever. The powerful message of hope was shared and debated by millions of Lebanese, generating thousands of dollars in free media and triggering extensive PR. Beirut was named as one of the top 20 touristic destinations worldwide and Byblos was crowned best touristic city in the Arab World. The Ministry of Tourism managed to overcome the negative perceptions inflicted by the media, by registering over 1 million incoming tourists in a year where hope was lost for any touristic activity.

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

By adequately allocating the influence of renowned Lebanese stars, the TVC shows a very warm image of the true Lebanon, beautified by Wadih el Safi's iconic music from the song "Rah Halfak" amplifying the authentic Lebanese cachet, and a tone of voice that depicts the beauty in contradiction, entitled "Don't go to Lebanon". The paradox approach is meant to implicate powerful PR around the campaign, on TV, radio, in the press and online.

Credits

Name Company Role
Walid Kanaan Impact Bbdo Chief Creative Officer
Chris Jabre Impact Bbdo Copywirter
Miriam Jbeili IMPACT BBDO Associate Creative Director
Rawad Keyrouz Impact Bbdo Tv Producer
Samir Tamari Impact Bbdo Creative Director Director Tv Producer
Karim Diab IMPACT BBDO General Manager
Farah Feghali IMPACT BBDO Account Executive
Wim Coetsee Impact Proximity Regional Technical Director
Syed Azeem Afzal Impact Proximity Regional Head Of Digital