No Somos Delito (We Are Not Crime): Holograms For Freedom [video]

Credits & Description:

Titulo: Hologramas por la Libertad
Type of entry: Outdoor
Advertiser: NO SOMOS DELITO (WE ARE NOT CRIME)
Category: Live Advertising and Events
Agency: DDB SPAIN
Geo: Spain
Photographer: Alberto Escudero()
Executive Producer: Alvaro Gorospe(Garlic TV)
Hologram Supervisor: Bruno Galán(Garlic TV)
Copywriter: Daniel Rodriguez(DDB Spain)
Interactive Director: David Bardos(20H)
Post Production Supervisor: Elena Vergel(Garlic TV)
Production Director: Enrique Feijoo(DDB Spain)
Agency Producer: Esteban Carrasco(DDB SPAIN)
Director: Esteban Crespo(Garlic TV)
Executive Creative Director: Guillermo Santaisabel(DDB Spain)
Executive Creative Director: Javier Urbaneja(DDB Spain)
Chief Creative Officer: Jose Mª Roca De Viñals(DDB Spain)
Creative Director/Head of Art: Cristina Rodriguez(DDB Spain)
Agency Producer: Elena Carrasco(DDB Spain)
Front End Programmer: Fernando Drumond(20H)
Editor: Fernando Guarinello(-)
Account Executive: Gabriela Castro(DDB Spain)
Account Supervisor: Mariona Cruz(DDB Spain)
Cinematographer: Pancho Alcaine(-)
URL: http://www.hologramasporlalibertad.org/
Description of the Project:
Since last year, the Spanish government has been designing a group of law reforms, commonly known as “The Gag Law”. Spanish Congress passed this law on March 26th.
Human rights experts from the UN said these reforms will violate Spanish people’s human rights.
The platform NoSomosDelito (WeAreNotCrime), formed by over a hundred citizens’ organizations, activists, and jurists, informs citizens about the meaning of these reforms, which restrict fundamental rights such as freedom of expression and assembly in the name of “citizens’ security”, and to pressure the government into withdrawing them immediately.
One of their objectives is public awareness of their message, so they can mobilize people and collect signatures against this law, and also get support from media and governments outside Spain, in order to prevent its entry into force. To that end we created the Holographic Protest, the first of its kind. On March 26th, the same day the Gag Law was approved, we launched a teaser website which encouraged users to participate in the demonstration in a virtual way: uploading their pictures, recording their shouts and sending their protest messages. At that time we did not revealed the location where the protest would take place, in order to avoid confrontation with the Spanish authorities.
On April 10th, we projected the protest on a 7x4 meters screen in front of the Parliament building, taking advantage of a filming permit. We documented it in a short film and print ads that were distributed some days later.
Media covered the event worldwide.
Insight:
Due to the free assembly restrictions in Spain, people will have to turn into holograms to be able to protest without being fined, arrested or beaten up. So we created the Holographic Protest, invited people to be a virtual part of it, and worldwide media to bear witness to it.
Audience was greatly drawn to the idea, for several reasons. It was a new creative way of protest, it defied the banning of demonstrations in front of Parliament building, and it also reflected in a relevant way the abolition of rights the law has introduced: flesh and blood protest will not be tolerated.
Media found the story interesting not only for its political and social content, but also from a technological point of view, and as a historical milestone in activism.
Holographic Protest live event (April 10th) for media: video projection on a 7x4 meters transparent screen in front of Parliament building, and a special cabin for NoSomosDelito spokespeople to be interviewed by media as real-time holograms.
Website (launched with a teaser online video on March 26th) allowed users to participate virtually in the demonstration, and sign the online petition against the Gag Law reform.
Press print ads (printed on April 17th) portraying the Holographic Protest reinforced the message and led people to website.
An online documentary branded video about the protest (distributed on April 22th).
#HologramasLibres (#HologramsForFreedom) hashtag to improve social conversation.
The campaign was a global hit in media all around the world, with an estimated earned media (at the time of writing) of 16 million euros, and a global audience of over 800 million. It was covered by the main national and international press, TV and online media and made it into the front page and editorials of some of them, such as the French newspaper Le Monde, The New York Times and The Boston Globe. It also appeared in countless local and specialized media.
17,857 people participated in the demonstration via the website, although after that moment, participations kept rising over 20,000. The online petition for the withdrawal of the law was signed by more than 330,000 people.
Our protest gathered over 50,000 tweets and about 400 million Twitter impressions.
Ultimately, the protest was debated in a session of the Spanish Congress.
Several organizations around the world (Canada, Egypt, and Hungary) asked for guidance in replicating the holographic protest, and even the Museum of Science of London, through one of its exhibition producers, has contacted us in order to use the projection as a way to open a discussion on the issue of Government control with their visitors.