2017 Winners & Shortlists

THE SEA CEMETERY

Silver

Case Film

Presentation Image

BrandSUPPORT TO LIFE
Product/ServiceSOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
EntrantTBWA\ISTANBUL, TURKEY
CategoryCharities, Public Health & Safety, Public Awareness Messages
Idea Creation TBWA\ISTANBUL, TURKEY
Production JAGUAR PROJECTS Istanbul, TURKEY

The Campaign

In memory of thousands of refugees who died trying to cross the Mediterranean, we decided to create a sea cemetery. The cemetery was constructed in the Mediterranean exactly where many refugees lost their lives. In order to enhance the effect of our storytelling, we searched and contacted actual refugees who have lost their loved ones in midst of their journey to freedom. In our work, we told the story through their individual stories.

Creative Execution

In memory of thousands of refugees who died trying to cross the Mediterranean, we created The Sea Cemetery installation, which consists of hundreds of tombstones. The cemetery was constructed in the Mediterranean exactly where the refugees lost their lives. The Sea Cemetery installation and various interviews with refugees was filmed. The video was aired on TV and spread on the Internet to reach as many people as possible. Simultaneously, theseacemetery.com, where people can learn more about the refugee crises and take action, has been launched to get the attention of millions.

The work was successful in drawing public attention back to the Syrian refugee issue as it began to disappear. The increase in awareness was not merely about the social issue. Through the work, Support To Life managed to increase its brand awareness among the socially concerned audience. More importantly, this awareness showed a tendency to turn into action. Traffic to Support To Life website increased which led to a further increase in donations. In just a week, we had 450% increase in supporttolife.org's traffic, 180% increase in donations and 225 new contributors.

We turned the Mediterranean Sea into a medium. Specifically, we used the exact location where hundreds lost their lives.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

Our goal was to get the attention of everyone around the world as the global discussions around refugees was starting to cool down and lose its relevance. So we had a wide target audience. In order to spread the word we used the Internet to create a viral effect. We went to opinion leaders and various NGOs to spread our message for us.

Credits

Name Company Role
Ilkay Gurpinar TBWA\ISTANBUL Chief Creative Officer
Volkan Karakasoglu TBWA\ISTANBUL Executive Creative Director
Eser Yazici TBWA\ISTANBUL Group Head
Alpan Esen TBWA\ISTANBUL Copywriter
Cem Cetin TBWA\ISTANBUL Group Head
Ozge Guven TBWA\ISTANBUL Art Director
Ahmet Ulku TBWA\ISTANBUL Art Director
Serhat Poyraz TBWA\ISTANBUL Digital Team
Evren Ozbozdagli TBWA\ISTANBUL Digital Team
Ceren Ozen TBWA\ISTANBUL Agency Producer
Lerzan Kuzgun TBWA\ISTANBUL Agency Producer
Hakan Gülsoy TBWA\ISTANBUL Print Production Manager
Melis İnceer TBWA\ISTANBUL Brand Director
Melis Senol TBWA\ISTANBUL Brand Supervisor
Bida Yusan TBWA\ISTANBUL Brand Executive
Ceren Sehitoglu TBWA\ISTANBUL Strategic Planner
Can Degerli TBWA\ISTANBUL Strategic Planner
ISMET KURTULUS Jaguar Projects Director
Tolga Topcu Jaguar Projects Producer
Emre Irmak Jingle Jackson Music
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