2018 Winners & Shortlists

The Campaign

Visit, for god’s sake, is a play on words campaign that has been designed to be authentic and playful, which is true to our personality, whilst having a double meaning that resonates with our target. The well-known Arabic phrase “for god’s sake” alludes to the close relationship Jordan has with our neighbor Lebanon, by appealing to them to visit us, for God’s sake, as a family member or close friend might insist, while also encouraging them to connect with their faith by visiting religious sites in Jordan.

Creative Execution

The campaign was executed over a period of two months running from October to December 2017 with placements on 30 major outdoors (print and digital) and wall units in all of Lebanon and mainly the cities with a concentration of religious Christian communities. 1150 Radio ads were placed on main radio stations and a documentary was broadcast in peak times on Lebanon Tele Lumiere. 20,000 Posters and flyers were delivered to the main travel agents in all of Lebanon and the main churches in collaboration with the synods in Lebanon.

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

The campaign results can be measured by the number of visitors to Jordan throughout the year 2018. Initial results show an increase in baptism tourism from Lebanon to Jordan by 30% and an increase in general tourism to Jordan by 70% up until Feb 2018. The awareness of the baptism site in Jordan among our target audience of Christian communities has increased by 60-70%. The initial reactions in the Lebanese streets were positive and especially evident amongst the synod, where motivation to visit Jordan in the coming period has increased. The campaign has also steered controversy in Jordan; influencers and media outlets have battled for and against the campaign where some thought it was “begging” the Lebanese to visit others thought it was encouraging religious tourism. The controversy created a conversation online in the Jordanian and the Lebanese market.

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

The campaign was designed to be bold, controversial and smart in order to create conversations amongst our target with minimal spend. The campaign created the exact responses we were aiming for, increased awareness and increased travel and tourism to Jordan from Lebanon especially to the religious sites. The controversy was also pronounced in Jordan where the campaign steered the public opinion with some press/influencers believing it seemed as if Jordan was “begging” the Lebanese to visit. This sparked a conversation and debate which got people talking in Jordan and in Lebanon and a lot of people defending the campaign.

To attract Christian pilgrims to the site through this campaign we appeal to the discerning Lebanese traveler by using a tongue-in-cheek header, which attracts our target demographic of well-educated, experience seekers from Lebanon, who are motivated to visit historically important religious sites in neighboring countries. In developing our new campaign targeting the Christian faith segment in Lebanon, we felt it was important to create a slogan that would cut-through in a crowded marketplace whilst also create a personal connection between Jordanians and Lebanese people. The campaign was intended to be bold in order to gain mileage with minimum spending.