2015 Winners & Shortlists

The Brief

“I Love Bananas” by Zeezee M was uploaded online and became the most viewed YouTube video in the history of Lebanon in less than a week, with an average of 10,000 views per hour. When the actress revealed the nature of the premeditated stunt on prime time national TV, she proved to the nation that degrading online content was getting more visibility than true culture. Simultaneously, Sa2afetna was launched, a cultural Facebook page providing users with relevant cultural content that is truly worth sharing and debating. The wake-up call was endorsed by 2 TVCs and a nationwide OOH campaign.

Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation

Based on the nature of the problem, the strategy was to create a live example that would prove the deteriorating online culture and its effects on the community. What seems to be the problem is also the remedy. Hence the Zeezee M stunt launched online and harnessed over 1 million view within a week. It led to the live official launch of the campaign on the most viewed entertainment talk show on Prime Time TV. The viral video would propel the cultural page at a very accelerated rate and the shock intended did the job perfectly.

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

The video clip was viewed 1,292,000 times in 199 countries to date. It triggered a national debate, covered by all TV stations and spurred by millions of online users. The hashtag of the prime time TV talk show trended on the night of the reveal, an unprecedented event that proved that all eyes were on the so-called actress, and they consequently unanimously assisted to the reveal and the facebook page launch. The campaign earned 3.2 Million dollars in free media with thousands of users liking the page that reached 20K likes within a week.

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

The campaign started with the video stunt that turned into an instant viral sensation, based on previous online incidents and to prove our point. Then came the wake-up call when the actress revealed the purpose of her make over. Simultaneously, the cultural facebook page was launched on Prime Time TV driving users to share and debate real cultural content. To support the page launch, 2 TVCs evoking the same line of thought we aired and uploaded, inviting the Lebanese to be part of the page and become its advocates. An OOH campaign with a heavy media plan was deployed across the country, with the same message.