Corruption is the second highest concern for Spaniards, only behind unemployment. This perception increased in 2013 with the largest corruption scandal in recent years. The case involved the President of the Government and other relevant politicians in the exchange of envelopes containing dirty money. In this context, a direct marketing agency, which has historically sent thousands and thousands of envelopes, wanted to restore the honest use of envelopes.

The goal:

Capture part of the attention to obtain coverage in general media and increase the spontaneous notoriety of the agency. Demonstrate that an advertising agency can have a social side

Honest Envelopes were sent to all of the agency’s clients, 50 prospects, 110 journalists and 60 politicians together with a suggestion: to support our cause by using them as their official stationery for 2014. They were also placed on sale as a not for profit item.

Thanks to this, we created a simple yet direct message of social protest: if the envelopes are a symbol of corruption, the Honest Envelopes are a symbol of regeneration. A newsworthy message that we used to demonstrate that an advertising agency can have a social side.

And all with some envelopes. Empty, of course.

We decided to restore the lost dignity to something that has provided both ourselves and our clients with the most rewards: envelopes. How? With “Honest Envelopes”, the first-ever protest stationery.

Honest Envelopes are the first envelopes that allow you to certify whether its contents are honest or not. These envelopes include a peep hole to view its contents. Its optimized size means it is not suitable for distributing wads of cash, it has been produced using biodegradable materials, and it is sold at cost price.

The campaign achieved its objective: to denounce corruption from a new perspective. We managed to open a debate on corruption into trend-related media, areas that had never previously dealt with political subjects. We were able to reopen it in the mass media, thanks to opinion articles, interviews and even invitations to political gatherings. As such, we converted a direct marketing agency into a headline feature in the mass media, which took us up by 9 points in terms of spontaneous recognition. 5 of our clients, 2 prospects and 3 communications media have taken on Honest Envelopes as their official stationery.