2015 Winners & Shortlists

The Campaign

Most people have a perception of Lebanon that is largely formed by the media, which tends to lead with the negative. So how does the Lebanese Ministry of Tourism entice people to visit? For starters, the old perception had to be challenged. And who better to change your mind about a country than its citizens who live there and love it?

Success of the Campaign

The results were massive, both on the ground with media attention, and online with bloggers and social media users. Within a week, the film had generated 500,000 views, 11,000 shares on Facebook, over 260 million digital impressions, and over 84,000 Instagram posts, not to mention an endless amount of tweets from all over the world, making LiveLoveLebanon a trending topic, generating an impressive Click Through Rate of 6%, and inspiring people from all corners of the globe to visit. Today, and despite the situation in the region, the past year has been a record-breaker for tourism in Lebanon. The hashtag LiveLoveLebanon is now THE tag to promote the country. And Lebanon is back where it should be: On every traveller’s wish list.

Describe how the campaign/entry was launched and executed across each channel in the order of implementation.

Live Love Lebanon and its corresponding hashtag #LiveLoveLebanon were created and the Lebanese were invited to share the Lebanon they love with the world by uploading photos and videos that they think best reflect their country’s spirit, acting as honorary ambassadors of their home. Almost instantly, Lebanese from across the country and abroad began to upload their own content to the various social media pages created, making sure to tag their contributions with the hashtag. In the meantime, a launch event was a great success, and interest in the campaign grew among media personalities, talk show hosts, celebrities and politicians. People also began sporting the Live Love Lebanon bracelets, even posing with it in their submissions. A growing bulk of user-submitted footage and insights was then mined, with the best content compiled and edited into a film, which was then released online and across television channels both locally and abroad.