2019 Winners & Shortlists

BULLY A PLANT

BrandIKEA UAE
Product/ServiceIKEA 2018 CATALOGUE
EntrantMEMAC OGILVY Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
CategoryBusiness Citizenship / Corporate Responsibility
Idea Creation MEMAC OGILVY Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Media Placement MEMAC OGILVY Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
PR MEMAC OGILVY Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Why is this work relevant for PR Lynx?

Because verbal bullying is a common occurrence in schools across the region, we wanted to put an end to it by directly speaking to the right audience a setting in which they are used to learning. The classroom. We sent our message out to a large network of students by setting up a live experiment and an anti bullying seminar, and interviewing them to hear their stories along the way. Helping victims speak up and bullies open up. This process got students involved with the cause, influencing them to make better decisions and spread our message.

Background

Verbal bullying is an issue that is commonly overlooked in schools in this region, and the effects of it are noticed too late. And kids don’t even notice when they partake in the act because they don’t realize that words have a huge impact on how people feel. While parents and teachers are unaware of it even taking place. We wanted to speak to the right audience about stopping bullying in a way that they would find interesting and amusing, while still triggering a change in behavior.

Describe the creative idea.

Studies prove that plants respond to verbal stimuli just like humans. If we could prove that words have such a negative impact on plants, we could make students realize that the impact is much stronger on fellow students. So we set up an experiment at a local school with two IKEA plants. Our experiment visually showed kids what words can do to a living thing. We directly spoke to the right audience through something school kids are familiar with- an experiment. We involved the children every step of the way by interviewing them to hear their stories, getting them more involved with the cause. And since school is a place they learn in every day, we saw it as the perfect place to set up the experiment. As the plants changed, so did the mindsets of the students’.

Describe the strategy.

School kids often aren’t even aware of when they are taking part in verbal bullying. Targeting the right audience at the very same place bullying occurs, we wanted to show kids the effects of bullying in a way that would be interesting and interactive. And we got the students involved every step of the way for them to have a better understanding of the issue, cause, and effects so they are influenced to end bullying.

Describe the execution.

We took two identical IKEA plants and placed them in soundproof glass boxes. The boxes had one speaker each, with holes on the top for kids to be able to listen to the audio. We recorded negative words and positive words. We then said played the negative words to one plant, and positive words to the other for a span of 30 days at the school venue. This experiment was set up in the school’s common area for kids to conveniently pass by it every day to see the change.

List the results.

1.2 billion media impressions worldwide in only 5 days - $42 million earned media in only 5 days - Bullying cases dropped by 49% within the GEMS School Network - The most successful campaign since the brand’s arrival in the UAE.

Credits

Name Company Role
Stephan Vogel Ogilvy & Mather Chief Creative Officer
Paul Shearer Memac Ogilvy Dubai Chief Creative Officer
Juliana Paracencio Memac Ogilvy Dubai Creative Director
Hyunseo Yoo Memac Ogilvy Dubai Art Director
Aliza Siddiqi Memac Ogilvy Dubai Copywriter
Tarek Shawki Memac Ogilvy Dubai Business Director
Mahmoud Hassan Memac Ogilvy Dubai Group Account Director
Ami Popat Memac Ogilvy Dubai Senior Account Manager
Sonam Mahadev Social@Ogilvy Account Manager
Ramadan Ibrahim Memac Ogilvy Dubai Designer
Tamara D'Costa Memac Ogilvy Dubai Agency Producer
Ryan Gonsalves Freelance Producer / Editor
Inshad Usman Freelance Photographer
Xeniya Tkachenko Social Lab Campaign Manager
Matthieu Vercruysse Social Lab General Manager
Sawsan Abdillahi Social Lab Associate Account Director
Basma Abdou Social Account Executive