Cannes Lions
LEO BURNETT BEIRUT, Beirut / SAKKER EL DEKKENE (STOP THE SHOP) / 2016
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Overview
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Credits
Description
As Sakker El Dekkene needed help in refocusing the cause of the demonstrations to corruption, we decided to use a popular tool among demonstrators: a song to give the cause a greater and more engaging appeal amongst the protesters for them to use and ideally endorse as their battle cry.
The song was purposely written in an engaging and revolutionary tonality - without being too intellectual - to make sure it appeals to the masses and has the power to serve as a street song during the demonstrations.
Execution
Every protest movement needs a battle chant. Music is a language that has more connecting power than any political statement. The song was first released during one of the street protests, a snowball effect occurred where in matter of hours thousands were chanting the song and soon adopted it as their anthem. Mainstream media covered its birth in real time. In parallel, we had released the song online where attentive bloggers and influencers covering the development of the protests picked it up. In a matter of days the clip and song was playing several times a day on mainstream radio and TV stations.
Outcome
The song went viral where it mattered the most: in the streets amongst thousands of protesters. Traditional and non-traditional media on the ground covered its organic spread in real time exposing its birth to all who did not take to the streets yet.
Blogger/influencers picked up the song and clip online and adopted it as their own battle cry on the different social networks.
The artist and NGO were invited to the top TV shows. The main channels in the country, started playing the video clip 20 to 40 times a day, and ensured live coverage of the protest with the song playing in the background during the entire period of the protests.
We reached a phenomenal $8,578,136 in earned media, focusing the conversation on the real issue - corruption- placing it at the forefront of the public debate.
Most importantly, the song became the anthem of the entire movement.
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