Despite repeated interventions, the educational system in Romania remains chronically underfunded and lacks a clear vision, as Romania invests the least in the EU in education: only 2.4% of GDP, half the EU average. A tiny proportion with devastating future consequences for the children in rural areas, as over 60% of them are illiterate and struggle to read and write by age 14.

Championing a democratic ethos and ensuring access to affordable, quality products for all, Pepco is the go-to store for families and children in Romania. Aligning with its accessibility mission, ever since its 2015 launch, it has been committed to promoting children’s education and equal rights, aiming to democratize access to quality education for children in the communities it serves.

Understanding the severity of this long-neglected issue, Pepco now wanted to call out the illiteracy pandemic and be part of the solution.

ILLITERATE ADS: Pepco’s Back to School campaign intentionally using illiteracy to fight illiteracy.

In a bold move to start a national conversation about equal education rights, Pepco decided to tap the internet’s hate and put its Back to School campaign in the hands of unexpected copywriters: illiterate schoolchildren.

The internet quickly reacted to the genuinely misspelled ads as people jumped in to point out every writing mistake.

On World Literacy Day, just as school was about to start, we revealed the story of the young writers in a short documentary, instantly shifting the outcry from criticism towards the illiterate ads to those responsible for underfunding education for decades.

Pepco followed it up with financial support for educational NGOs to launch a National Literacy Program, expanding their impact beyond their typical student population.

The action generated widespread media attention, sparking critical discussions with the government and the public on the issue.

We targeted individuals in urban areas with greater access to resources and educational opportunities. This audience is often disconnected from the harsh realities of their rural counterparts, a divide frequently depicted by the media as the dichotomy of "two Romanias.”

Through data collected from social media listening and comment analysis in online press targeting this particular audience, we discovered that while they overlooked the illiteracy gap in rural children, they took pleasure in highlighting grammatical and spelling errors. "Illiterate" is commonly used as an insult, with Romanians not only enjoying pointing out mistakes but also associating them with a lack of education.

Insight: While Romanians turn a blind eye to the issue of illiteracy, they also vilify the smallest grammatical errors encountered on social media, especially if they’re coming from a brand.

The solution was simple: USE ILLITERACY TO FIGHT ILLITERACY.

Pepco's campaign sparked a national movement and revitalised public consciousness regarding the long-neglected issue of illiteracy. Reaching 5.1 million Romanians and garnering over 370k reactions, 91% now recognize illiteracy as the top challenge in education.

The ground impact was remarkable, with the National Literacy Program reaching 362% more children and 279% more schools. Pepco's efforts also boosted key brand indicators: "Concerned with social issues" by 25.5%, "In line with my values" by 11.8%, and "Suitable for children" by 6.1%.

Significant change began three weeks after the documentary's launch when the new Minister of Education prioritized support for over 60 educational NGOs, including Pepco's initiative.

Moreover, as the government deliberated on the national budget for 2023, funding for education began to rise for the first time in the preceding three years. This trend continued into 2024, marking an empowering increase to 4.3% of the GDP, finally aligning with the EU average.