As the public’s primary inhibition to giving money to street children is the fact that money can buy anything, we created a new currency for the population to hand out directly to street children that can only buy good things. The Good Note is designed to resemble the denomination of Lebanese currency commonly handed to street children and is worth the same amount ($0.66). But unlike the Lebanese note, it can only be spent at the 11 Bou Khalil supermarket branches across Lebanon and its affiliated pharmacy on food, water, personal hygiene items, medicine and other necessities. A cross-platform communication campaign led people to buy the note and give it to street children instead of money. On-ground, we educated the children on receiving the new note, where to spend it and what best to spend it on such as nutritious food, personal hygiene items for cleanliness and sanitation, etc.

In-store communication placed in all the supermarket branches targeted Bou Khalil shoppers. Outdoor and print communication targeted the public at large, raising awareness on giving responsibly. An online film depicted the country losing faith in children, calling for change. On social media we engaged a younger Lebanese target audience of online users with stories from the streets, via the Good Note Instagram account. On-ground, we educated the refugee children on the note, where to spend it and what best to buy with it. To maximize reach, we put Bou Khalil supermarket on wheels by creating the Good Truck.

To make sure all the Lebanese population was reached, we targeted them by interest and activity, and partnered up with different genres of shops, such as local bars, restaurants, bookshops, gyms, renowned jewelers, cafes. These partner shops are all selling Good Notes to their customers.

Creating an alternate currency and bringing it to life, resonated with the Lebanese by effectively demonstrating the problem of giving money to street children while simultaneously providing a functional and usable solution. The Good Note was covered by local media and international media. In less than one month, public interest generated $4.2 million in earned media and PR and reached an estimated 20million social media users. This buzz led even more local businesses to pour in to partner with the initiative, selling Good Notes at their venues. The interest was so high that we are now ready for a reprint of the Good Note. With more than 25 million Lebanese pounds worth of Good Notes circulating around the country, we got the Lebanese to give again and turned a supermarket chain into a social service network.