2016 Winners & Shortlists

THE WALLS HAVE SPOKEN

BrandPEPSICO INTERNATIONAL
Product/Service7UP
EntrantIMPACT BBDO Beirut, LEBANON
CategoryCorporate Responsibility
Entrant Company IMPACT BBDO Beirut, LEBANON
Advertising Agency IMPACT BBDO Beirut, LEBANON

The Campaign

In the Middle East, freedom of expression is one of the most controversial dreams. This hard reality has left the region's most gifted graffiti artists with very little breathing space and a staggering weight of unexpressed artistry. So we decided to give 7UP outdoor campaign a whole new dimension of originality by giving these artists the blank canvases they've long been dreaming of in the spots they've always considered as the forbidden fruit. The artists’ masterpieces were embedded in our visuals. Their aim to beautify Beirut was not only immortalized on the walls of the city but it harnessed the visibility it truly deserves. The campaign was meant for and launched in Lebanon; it later on extended to Egypt and Jordan, due to its success in the ‘country of origin’.

The Brief

The objective was to empower true originals by featuring their work in our work; generating hype around their art and giving our work the authenticity that best describes our brand. These true originals were waiting to be spotted and empowered. So we gave them the opportunity to express themselves, and be recognized through local and regional exposure. The target audience is perfectly described in 7UP’s slogan "Feels Good To Be You” celebrating the up and coming originals. And it's this uniqueness that the new campaign tries to bring out in its own audience, as 7up becomes a companion to originals providing a platform to share their interests, their own way

Execution

After spotting the graffiti artists, we enabled them to produce masterpieces in highly-visible public spaces, the nature of the graffiti work perfectly fits the medium making it a perfectly functioning two-way street. The brand was integrated visually in the murals, and the murals were integrated visually in the visuals. The visuals were featured on key outdoor spots, on the brand’s social media platforms (Facebook and Instagram), and the making-of was showcased on the brand’s YouTube page. What first started as a local ‘Lebanon’ campaign was similarly executed in the region’s biggest market, Egypt, and in Jordan due to the positive buzz that the content and the media strategy managed to harness.

What first started as a local ‘Lebanon’ campaign was similarly executed in the region’s biggest market, Egypt, & in Jordan due to the positive buzz the campaign managed to harness. Given the online spillover triggered by the OOH campaign, the brand was able to boost its equity 7 points up in the Love Brand Index and 20 points in the Refreshment Index. (Source: MWB Equity Reports). Photographers used the images snapped with the murals integrated, as part of their portfolio & these images were featured on Getty images and the Associated Press portal. 7UP was finally recognized as the brand of originals on Social media by bloggers & online users where hundreds of posts mentioned the work as true sign of originality. The brand was able to get free coverage on top media: LBCI, MTV and Newspapers and Magazines (Al Jomhouriah, Prestige; Mondanite). The free airtime reached a value of $300,000.

The Strategy

By spotting true originals in their hideouts, we then enabled them to produce masterpieces in highly-visible public spaces, then integrated their work in our visual communication, mainly outdoor with a calculated online spillover using #OriginalSpotting as a vehicle, leaving OOH as the centerpiece of the campaign and the initiator of the wider media strategy. The brand was integrated visually in the murals, and the murals were integrated visually in the visuals. This seamless combination equally put forth the brand’s originality and the originality of the artists behind the murals. The ripple effect that extended to non-artists - yet originals - was natural. Because these people appreciate art, the murals instantly triggered thousands of photos where people found various creative ways to snap a moment, interacting with the diverse graffiti, which would propel the online conversation. This allowed a perfect ‘marriage’ between paid, owned and earned media.

Credits

Name Company Role
RONI CHAMCHAM Impact Bbdo MANAGING DIRECTOR CAIRO
NANCY TIMANI Impact Bbdo Creative Director
LYNA DOMIATI Impact Bbdo Associate Creative Director
OMAR SABRA Impact Bbdo Regional account director
TALLY MASSOUH Impact Bbdo Head of production
CHRIS JABRE Impact Bbdo Associate Creative Director