2019 Winners & Shortlists

Background.

Despite Arabic culture’s indelible contribution to world civilization, it has long been cast as incompatible with Western values, and Arabs as a whole have found themselves alienated and on the defensive due to the threat of extremism from small but radicalized segments of society. Tinol, Lebanon’s leading paint manufacturer, tasked us to increase brand love by reestablishing a sense of pride in the Arabic language on the occasion of World Arabic Language Day, December 18, 2018 through a campaign that would help our audience appreciate the extent to which Arabic has enriched civilizations across the globe. With a combined production and media budget of 12,000 USD, we endeavored to maximize exposure for our message through print in Lebanon’s English national newspaper and posters at touchpoints where the Arabic Language’s colorful legacy would be most impactful.

Describe the creative idea.

Re-instill a sense of pride for Arabic by illustrating how much the language has influenced so many of the world’s lexicons, and empower Arabs to help others ‘See Beyond Black & White’ by demonstrating why their preconceptions and prejudices are ill-founded.

Describe the strategy.

Leverage Lebanon’s leading paint manufacturer, Tinol, to communicate the fact that so many color names (either originally from Arabic or transmitted via Arabic) have enriched languages across the globe. Maximize the impact of the campaign through print in Lebanon’s English language newspaper The Daily Star, and posters. Target an audience that has faced hostility due to its identification with and use of Arabic, and empower them with the tools to fight preconceptions by educating them on the extent to which Arabic has widened the expressive power of languages around the world. Approach the campaign as an opportunity to fight prejudice, bridge differences and initiate a constructive dialogue on World Arabic Language Day.

Describe the execution.

Having identified 7 color names that are either originally from Arabic or transmitted via Arabic to other languages (Crimson, Azure, Amber, Lemon, Lime, Lilac and Coffee), we used Tinol’s color swatch design to bring our idea to life. Integrated within each swatch is a unique story that talks about the prejudice Arabic speakers face, and how this prejudice is baseless given Arabic’s profound impact on world civilization. The creative invites our audience to take pride in Arabic and gives people facts with which to help non-Arabs overcome their preconceptions and ‘See Beyond Black & White’. 70cm x 100cm and 42cm x 59.4cm thermographic varnish posters were mounted in Tinol showrooms, an environment in which the Arabic Language’s colorful legacy would be even more keenly felt, while 25cm x 15.25cm print in The Daily Star allowed us to reach a nationwide audience.

List the results.

‘See Beyond Black & White’ increased brand love for Tinol by a remarkable 5% within only 2 months of the campaign going live. The Daily Star’s circulation of 30,000 copies daily meant that ‘See Beyond Black & White’ print executions were seen by a nationwide audience, while Tinol showroom posters conveyed the campaign to people already receptive to communication about color. Furthermore, the campaign elevated Tinol from a paint brand to an advocate for and facilitator of mutual understanding, tolerance and dialogue at a time when talking about the things we have in common rather than the things we don’t has never been more urgent.