2019 Winners & Shortlists

Why is this work relevant for Brand Experience & Activation?

The activation collected donations for hunger relief projects, by turning empty plates into artworks, and creating an art exhibition in The Avenues Mall. We collaborated with artists to design the plates live at the exhibition, where the public could interact with the artists during the process. Mall visitors purchased the plates and donated money at booths, raising over for the Kuwait Red Crescent Society.

Background

The UN estimates there are over 800 million people who don't get enough to eat daily. The Avenues Mall wanted to partner with the Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) to raise funds for KRCS's hunger relief programs. Without a budget for media buying, we had to create an in-mall activation that would gather public donations for KRCS and raise awareness of the food crisis during the month of Ramadan.

Describe the creative idea.

During the Holy Month of Ramadan, Muslims abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sunset. Their fast ends each day with Iftar, a lavish evening meal. But what about those for whom hunger never ends? We needed a symbol to demonstrate to our audience that while they enjoyed an Iftar meal to break their fast, for others, hunger was ever present. Empty plates became the symbol for a simple, powerful message: End Their Hunger.

Describe the strategy.

The Avenues is Kuwait's largest shopping mall, and attracts millions of shoppers and visitors, who were predominantly Muslim, have considerable disposable income, and have sophisticated, worldly tastes. The activation was planned for Ramadan, as this is traditionally a time for showing extra compassion and giving to the poor. We wanted to avoid showing visuals of people in poverty, as this was exploitative and contributed to 'compassion fatigue' among potential donors. We decided to create art out of plates, as this was a way of creating something tangible, unique and valuable for donors, and would stand out among the many other charitable drives during Ramadan.

Describe the execution

The Avenues collaborated with 59 prominent local artists to turn 92 ordinary plates into unique artworks. The plates were then showcased at an art exhibition inside the mall, attracting thousands of visitors. To make the exhibition more engaging, visitors could participate in art workshops, where they interacted with the artists as they worked on the plates. The artworks were displayed at the exhibition and quickly sold out, with all proceeds going to the KRCS. Video booths throughout the mall attracted further visitors, spread information about the cause and collected more donations.

List the results.

The public’s response was immediate… and heart-warming. In just a few weeks over the course of Ramadan, the initiative collected over $85,000 in donations for the Red Crescent's hunger relief programs, from thousands of donors visiting the exhibition and booths. The activation's success in Kuwait was replicated in The Avenues Mall Bahrain, spreading the message to an even wider audience. The initiative received extensive coverage on TV, in the press and on social media, generating nearly $116,000 worth of free impressions. By filling a few plates with art, The Avenues helped to fill thousands of lives with hope. End their Hunger made people realize that, for the most vulnerable people, hunger doesn’t end at sunset.