38,400,000 impressions
306,022 Total Video Views
$766,000 in earned media
Over 2,500 user messages of hope. Hundreds transformed into campaign visuals used across media.
On January 1st, Lebanon’s main TV talk show dedicated an entire episode to the brand, with its content articulated around 5 campaign visuals.
4 publications dedicated their editorials to hope.
In a saturated market (source AC Nielsen):
JW market share (Nov/Dec 2014), from leader position, grew by 19.99% vs. last year’s 2,2% growth, +6.54 ppts ahead of category
Black label: value share grew 31%, 10ppt faster than category
Red label volume share grew by 4%
Creative Execution
We first shared our hopeful message through a short film on TV and online. A lone flame battles a powerful storm and emerges the victor stating: ‘Storms shall always pass, but the fire inside burns on’. Our message sparked the flame within the Lebanese. When they reacted, we were ready. We had set up a digital ecosystem, with a Facebook App at its core, encouraging crowd source messages through our #keepwalkinglebanon. On the ground a fire calligrapher roamed the country for the 20 nights and rewarded users online in real time by transforming key statements into pieces of art. The numerous pieces of art didn’t only occupy the brand and users’ digital spaces but were also published in national media and blogs. We finally partnered up with Lebanon’s prominent TV talk show for a new year’s day episode revolving around people’s statements of hope.
Insights, Strategy and the Idea
A nation’s biggest failure is when it forgets what it’s capable of. In 2014, a dark cloud loomed over Lebanon once more. Media outlets competed to paint a dark vision of the future, and the people followed suit. The Lebanese were forgetting what they’re truly capable of, and we made it our mission to remind them. We didn’t simply want to reassert the iconic Johnnie Walker Whisky as a produce of choice, we needed the Lebanese to Keep Walking again as they’ve always done. And so, through a participative edition of the Keep Walking Lebanon campaign we wanted to transform the negative media landscapes and conversations by using the people themselves as media and vehicles of hope.
Credits
Name
Company
Role
Bechara Mouzannar
Leo Burnett Beirut
Chief Creative Officer
Malek Ghorayeb
Leo Burnett Beirut
Regional Executive Creative Director
Kamil Kuran
Leo Burnett Beirut
Regional Managing Director Levant
Nada Abi Saleh
Leo Burnett Beirut
Managing Director
Peter Mouracade
Leo Burnett Beirut
Head Of Communication
Samer Shoueiry
Leo Burnett Beirut
Regional Digital Strategies/Innovation Director Director Levant