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.

Lebanon lacks the social infrastructure and governance capabilities to meet the needs of its own citizens. As a result, there are no formal channels to help the refugee population and the increasing number of street children. The Lebanese, to help, used to hand out money directly to the children on the streets. Unfortunately, they can never know where their money is going, so they have lost trust and stopped giving.

The good note is an alternate currency that is designed to be handed out to street children instead of money, but it can only be spent on good things.

We wanted the 4million Lebanese to trust and give street children again and we wanted the street children to learn, understand and embrace the new note. So we set off to target the whole Lebanese population as well as the street children. We created a cross platform communication campaign, integrating 9 communication channels to support the direct piece. Each channel targeted a specific audience and carried a specific message. All channels worked together to introduce the new note to both the Lebanese and the street children, in a seamless and effective manner:

1) raise awareness around the problem.

2) introduce the new currency.

3) educate the Lebanese on buying it and handing it out instead of cash.

4) educate the street children on receiving the new note, where to spend it, what to buy with it.

5) keep both parties engaged to embrace the Good Note as a permanent initiative.

Lebanon has absorbed more than 2 million Syrian refugees. More than half are children, drastically increasing the number of children begging on the streets. As Lebanon lacks the social infrastructure and governance capabilities to meet the needs of its own citizens, there are no formal channels to help the refugee population – they rely on the population’s good will. However, gangs exploited some street children, using the money handed to them to buy illicit items and substances. Unsure of where their money was going, the Lebanese stopped giving, leaving the majority who beg to survive without access to basic necessities. As a leading brand since 1935 that pledges ‘generations of care’, Bou Khalil Supermarché wanted to help. Our objective was to get the Lebanese to give again in a responsible manner that would enable street children to access basic necessities such as food, clean water, personal hygiene items.