2022 Winners & Shortlists

#WEAREUNBREAKABLE

BrandMTV LEBANON
Product/ServiceMTV
EntrantTBWA\RAAD Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
CategoryCorporate Purpose & Social Responsibility
Idea Creation TBWA\RAAD Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Production TRUFFLE FILM Beirut, LEBANON
Production 2 KOZMAN PHOTOGRAPHY Naccache, LEBANON

Why is this work relevant for Creative Strategy?

On August 4, 2020, Beirut exploded. A day etched in the Lebanese people’s hearts to this day. With no answers and justice yet to be served, MTV Lebanon, a leading television channel, wanted to remind the people that they deserved justice for their loved ones. With the #WeAreUnbreakable campaign, we leveraged the power of creative storytelling & moved people to a point that they decided to not sit quiet until they got answers. It not only commemorated the victims, but also brought out the fire in people’s hearts that pushed the government to take accountability.

Background

Beirut’s port was hit by of the one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history. The blast led to over 200 deaths, 700 injuries, and the displacement of thousands of families. An unimaginably cataclysmic tragedy, even with the countless revolutions and wars the country has seen. A year after the explosion, the people of the country were still desperately waiting for answers on who was responsible. For an entire year, MTV Lebanon, a leading news, and television channel in the country, had been trying to shed light on the unknown and question the authorities. On the 1st anniversary of the explosion, while the people of the country were busy with the burden of rebuilding their lives from the disaster, MTV’s goal was to boost their morale and sense of resilience – and do its part to call for the unaccounted truth.

The Interpretation of the Challenge (30% of vote)

The Lebanese people had many questions: why were dangerous chemicals kept at the port? Who could take responsibility? It was promised that they will get answers in five days after the explosion. One year later, with no answers from the government, the Lebanese people were losing hope and going into a state of learned helplessness. As a country that has seen the worst time and time again, Lebanese people are known to be highly resilient. After the explosion, the first thing the people thought about was not themselves, but the place they call home. Many different campaigns were created to clean up and restore their city from rubble and shattered glass; it had become another case of the famous local expression “May it be remembered, but not repeated” ("تنذكر وما تنعاد"). With a resilient yet hopeless people, how could MTV Lebanon remind them that they still deserved answers and justice?

The Insight / Breakthrough Thinking (30% of vote)

Lebanese people have seen, experienced & lived through what many others would not even see in their nightmares. The events of the 15-year civil war, an explosion in 2005 killing the country’s then prime minister, a long period of economic turmoil; it could be said that there is nothing the Lebanese couldn’t handle. But this, unfortunately, became a characteristic that the corrupt government takes advantage of. After the port explosion, the government has been putting a lot of efforts to evade an investigation. The judge who started an investigation was deposed from his position by affiliates of the ruling party. The prevailing sentiment was that people will gradually rebuild their lives and forget. People’s resilience was being taken as their weakness and this is what became our inflection point. We decided to showcase their unwavering spirit as a shield of strength that shouts out loudly that they’ve had enough.

The Creative Idea (20% of vote)

If over 7,000 tons of glass were shattered and the government was still silent, then we decided to break the silence by breaking even more glass. MTV created #WeAreUnbreakable, a campaign that depicted portraits of victims in shattered glass. A tribute to the people’s resilience and a loud and clear scream for truth. We collaborated with Simon Berger, a Swiss artist who is the only artist globally to make portraits out of glass. Upon the completion of all of the portraits, they were posted outdoors in front of the site of the explosion and were featured in MTV’s leading talk show “Sar Al Wa’et”/”Now Is The Time” ("صار الوقت"), which also featured the martyrs’ families who emotionally recalled their tragic losses: how a mother buried her child, how a father never got to say his last goodbye. Stories that were enough to reignite the sense of justice in people’s hearts.

The Outcome / Results (20% of vote)

Breaking glass proved to be immensely successful; the campaign and the portraits had a significant impact on the Lebanese people. The broadcast became the highest-rated episode of “Sar Al Wa’et”, yielding 30.64% of TV share, the highest in the entire summer period. The show also had over 2,250 mentions after the launch of the campaign (Source: Brandwatch) The campaign made its mark on social media. One tweet showing the parents of Alexandra Najjar, the explosion’s youngest victim, viewing her portrait went viral, garnering over 500 retweets and 2,000 likes. The campaign was also successful in re-igniting people’s need for accountability: protestors filled the streets demanding answers and seeking justice. Surprisingly, accountability for corrupt actions was being taken, a first in Lebanese history. Arrest warrants were issued by a judge for high-ranking officials, including a prime minister, two ministers, the port’s GM, and high-ranking militaries. Justice, at last.

Please tell us how the brand purpose inspired the work

News mediums are expected to be unbiased and neutral, aiming to provide the people with information on current events. MTV Lebanon has been different since the start. It has displayed a fervent commitment to acting as the fourth power, disclosing the untold about the abuses of power and corruption. When the explosion hit, MTV Lebanon was as done with the corrupt government as the people were, even going to the extent of publicly shaming and spitting on the name of the president. A first for a news channel. They were certainly not planning on staying silent for the explosion’s first anniversary. Standing by its motto of being the ‘voice of freedom’, MTV took upon its shoulders to encourage the people of Lebanon to continue their fight for justice and the answers that they deserved. With the #WeAreUnbreakable campaign, MTV stood united with the people, saluting their spirit and demanding justice.

Credits

Name Company Role
Walid Kanaan TBWA\RAAD Chief Creative Officer
Joe Lahham TBWA\RAAD Managing Director
Jennifer Fischer TBWA\RAAD Chief Innovation Officer
Georges Kyrillos TBWA\RAAD Creative Director
Christopher Ghorayeb TBWA\RAAD Associate Creative Director
Jad Chidiac TBWA\RAAD Senior Art Director
Romy Abdelnour TBWA\RAAD Marketing, PR & Communications
Nour Christidi TBWA\RAAD Copywriter
Bhaskar Bateja TBWA\RAAD Strategy
Mohammad El Tayech TBWA\RAAD Strategy
Maya Nassif Jabre TBWA\RAAD Designer
Pia Haddad TBWA\RAAD Copywriter
Joseph Saffi TBWA\RAAD Motion Design
Rozy El Beainy TBWA\RAAD Senior Producer
Elsa El Amm TBWA\RAAD Producer
Ezzat Habra TBWA\RAAD Traffic
Naveen Madurakariyan TBWA\RAAD Traffic
Simon Berger Simon Berger Art Artist - Portraits
Laurent Marthaler Laurent Marthaler Contemporary Art Historian & Galerist
François Chahine Freelancer Photographer
Steve Kozman Kozman Photography Photographer
Abbas Dia Kozman Photography Assistant Photographer
Habib Ghobril MTV Lebanon Client
Jean Nakhoul MTV Lebanon Executive Producer
Lea Mhanna MTV Lebanon Producer - Sar el Wa2et
Michel Abou Zeid Truffle Film Executive Producer
Cynthia Chammas Truffle Film Executive Producer
Lara Saba Lara Saba Film Director
Georges Rouhana Truffle Film Senior Producer
Sami Abou Zeid Truffle Film Production Manager
Lucciana Boulos Truffle Film Production Coordinator
Ziad Chahoud Truffle Film DOP
Georges Berkachi Truffle Film Gaffer
Mary Abou Akl Truffle Film Post Producer
Harry Hedeshian Truffle Film Muisc Composition
Belal Hibri Truffle Film Grading
Gaby Fernaine Truffle Film Online Production
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