2015 Winners & Shortlists

The Brief

In Lebanon, corruption is intertwined within the system; this is why fighting such a beast seems, to most people, unthinkable, unnecessary or even useless. When our client came to us, they insisted on the fact that they didn’t want to raise awareness but gather reports. Because it’s only when enough reporting is done, that they can hold people accountable. Knowing that this campaign required such a behavioral change, it was clear that we were going to need more than a traditional campaign, but truly create a belief that corruption can be fought and accompany people in their journey to report.

Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation

Corruption in Lebanon is everywhere. It lives in an economy of its own feeding on everything; and as a result, the fight against it seems hopeless. But the truth is, corruption acts exactly like a private business: The more you buy from it, the more it grows. And so we wanted corruption to go Bankrupt. The campaign idea was born with “Dekkenet El Balad” (The Country’s Corner Shop). Through guerilla marketing, a PR stunt, outdoors, an online movie we brought to life the Country’s Corner Shop called “Lebanon4sale” and invited people to close it down by reporting corruption.

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

To date, reports on line amount to 3.4 billion liras. 51 Million impressions & $2.6 Million of earned media. Featured in 12 regional and international TVs, 14 magazines, 9 NPs, 5 blogs, and over 30 websites. 487 volunteers in 3 months. 1.598 bribery reports. 2.737 mobile App downloads. 32 Shops “opened” across Lebanon. 4 Booths ‘opened’ in 4 universities. A reporting car went across 26 districts. 4 Street Guerrilla activations. 3 vending machines across 3 theatres. On Jan 26, SED closed the first “shop” in Lebanon by helping develop, sustain and replicate a fully DIGITIZED AND CORRUPT FREE Police Station.

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

Without any media budget it is surely the pertinence and boldness of the idea that got people to talk about it encourage each other to report. Corner shops in Lebanon are not only part of the folklore of the country but are known to provide more than the usual merchandise and services you’d usually look for – for example, in some of the more shady establishments you could pay off your electricity bills (which should normally be done at designated official institutions). The mercantile nature of corruption in Lebanon made corner shops a culturally powerful symbol to use in our campaign.