2020/2021 Winners & Shortlists

Why is this work relevant for Brand Experience & Activation?

On its 75th Anniversary, the Lebanese Army wanted to reinforce its commitment to protect, serve & care for the people of Lebanon. We could have done that by communicating some of its many achievements or the role it played during COVID & economic crises. Instead, we chose to bring its human side to life with an unconventional & innovative activation. We created Peace Camo – a new camouflage made of patterns depicting peace, unity & love, inspired by real-life moments of solidarity the Lebanese army has with the people. We transformed a symbol of war into a messenger of peace.

Background

Lebanon’s history since independence has been marked by many alternating periods of stability & turmoil, both political & natural. The Lebanese Army has lived by its motto of Honor, Sacrifice & Loyalty through thick & thin of what the country has been through. To commemorate its 75th anniversary, the Lebanese Army wanted to remind people that it is always up to the most difficult missions, committed to serving, protecting and caring for Lebanon and its great people.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

For centuries, soldiers around the world have worn camouflage to hide from the enemy. To most people, the camouflage patterns are a symbol of war & hostility. On the 75th Anniversary of the Lebanese Army, we decided to transform the camouflage from being a symbol of war to that of peace & love. We introduced ‘The Peace Camo’: A new camouflage that showcases messages of peace, unity & love through patterns inspired from real-life moments of Lebanese people & army solidarity. We created new camouflage patterns with illustrations of people embracing, kids playing, couple holding hands and generations coming together. With Peace Camo, we repurposed the camouflage’s objective to tell the people that the army exists to protect & serve them. We made a symbol of war into an icon of peace while still serving its purpose of camouflaging.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

During the last year, due to COVID-19 and the political and economic crisis affecting the country, the Lebanese Army has been responsible for establishing peace between protesters, helping resolve conflicts and protecting both the government and civilians to preserve security and civil peace. While researching about the Lebanese Army, we came across hundreds of real-life moments in which the army has shown solidarity & helped the people of Lebanon. This is what led to our driving insight – behind their roles as soldiers, the army is made of individuals who are as human as everyone else outside the army. And just like other people, they also want a life of peace, unity & love. Our strategy was clear, to celebrate the army’s 75th anniversary, we needed to bring this human side of the soldiers to life in front of all the people of Lebanon.

Describe the execution (30% of vote)

The creative process to design the pattern was not a standard one and it wasn’t easy. It took us about a year to find the right images and 2 weeks to create the illustrations for each picture. An interdisciplinary team of textile engineers, graphic designers, illustrators, tailors & army uniform producers came together to combine the fabric & the pattern. The PeaceCamo was presented during the Army’s 75th anniversary celebrations. On August 1st, 2020, soldiers marched the capital city of Beirut wearing the new symbol of peace. We didn’t want to shout out loud about our initiative and wanted people around the world to get to know about it on their own. We created a short documentary style film on the crafting & tailoring of the uniform, that was posted on YouTube.

List the results (30% of vote)

The story of our innovative initiative of changing the symbolism around camouflage spread quickly with many leading publications in the region & around the world covering the story. Many social influencers, designers & fashion enthusiasts created their outfits inspired by the PeaceCamo. Some people on social networks even proposed that the PeaceCamo should be given to foreign armies also, with the hope its message of peace would achieve a bigger scale. Our campaign was also featured as one of the top 20 campaigns of 2020 by Campaign Middle East.