Category: Best Use of Special Events and Stunt/Live Advertising
Advertiser: CARE INTERNATIONAL
Product/Service: CARE INTERNATIONAL
Agency: JWT SRI LANKA
Media placement: 200 Year Old Pandol - N/A - 18/05/2011
Insights, Strategy & the Idea
Problem: Women's abuse is rampant in Sri Lanka. There have been hundreds of messages, but can we say the message in a way the public will listen?
Insight: During Vesak, the holy celebration for Buddhists, people indulge in acts of merit and open their minds to receive teachings of the Buddha to lead a better life. Thousands gather in the capital city to learn about a 2500 year-old philosophy brought to life through stories on the 200 year-old medium of Pandols. A Pandol is the size of several billboards put together.
Strategy: Use this culturally significant event and Lord Buddha's ancient teachings on 'equality for all', to tell a modern message.
Relevance: After years of attempting to sensitise the public on legal repercussions, it was time to take a different angle: the spiritual one.
Creative Execution
CARE, a humanitarian organisation that fights gender based violence used this ancient media channel to erect a never before seen Pandol. Instead of the traditional stories people expected to see, we highlighted the key areas where women’s abuse takes place.
It would be the first time anyone saw the potential in Pandols as a powerful platform to deliver a timely, socially relevant message through a culturally significant event.
Results and Effectiveness
Our unique Pandol attracted a captive audience of millions of Sri Lankans who absorbed its teachings. We made millions see the light on women's abuse without even preaching a single word.