Advertiser: GAZETA SPORTURILOR
Agency: LEO BURNETT & TARGET
Category: Publications & Media
Advertising campaign: SECOND LIFE
Art Director: Liviu Toader (Leo Burnett & Target SA)
Media Director: Alexandra Iavorschi (Starcom MediaVest Group)
Media Director: Carmen Chipuc (Starcom MediaVest Group)
Copywriter: Irina Becher (Leo Burnett & Target SA)
Account Director: Diana Alexa (Leo Burnett & Target SA)
Planning Director: Victor Stroe (Leo Burnett & Target SA)
Strategy
Gazeta Sporturilor, the no.1 sports newspaper in Romania, decided to help former football player Mihai Nesu raise money for his Foundation. The problem when launching such projects is that the advertising costs to raise awareness for a cause are often bigger than the money collected.As advertising budgets seemed to be the problem, maybe they could also represent the solution.Idea: shorten commercials by 1 second, and donate the TV buying value of the extracted second to Mihai Nesu’s cause. The difference between a 30 second and a 29 second TV commercial is imperceptible for viewers, but the media buying cost for that 1 second represents 3.33% from the total budget. As the TV buying budgets are huge, the money raised this way represents a great amount.
Execution
Second-Life was born as a collective program through which participating advertisers cut 1 second from their TV commercials and donate the saved media buying money to a cause. Like Mihai Nesu’s cause.For the people to recognize the commercials part of the Second-Life program, the participating ads were marked with the Second Life logo.The program was promoted through a print, outdoor and online campaign brought to life with no costs, as all media suppliers fell in love with the cause and decided to support it for free.
Effectiveness
In less than 6 months:-The campaign generated over 400.000 worth of PR, involving top Romanian bloggers and social media influencers-7 national campaigns joined the program, and more are expected to enter- Over 5000 participating TVCs were broadcasted - With over 90% of all Romanians being exposed to a Second Life campaign, the initiative got immense coverage- Tens of thousands of Euros were raised for the foundation, and Second Life became a new way in which advertising can improve peoples’ lives.