Reporters Without Borders: TALKING POSTER

Credits & Description:

Category: Charity and Not for Profit

Advertiser: REPORTERS WITHOUT BORDERS

Product/Service: REPORTERS WITHOUT BORDERS

Agency: PUBLICIS BRUSSELS

Executive Creative Director: Paul Servaes (Publicis Brussels)

Creative Director: Alain Janssens (Publicis Brussels)

Copywriter: Kwint De Meyer (Publicis Brussels)

Art Director: Daniel Van Den Broucke (Publicis Brussels)

Photography: Getty Images (Getty Images)

Typographer: Jens Wolfs (Publicis Brussels)

Art Buyer: Laurence Maes (Publicis Brussels)

Client Service Director: Sébastien Desclée (Publicis Brussels)

Account Manager: Mikaël Ogor (Publicis Brussels)

Planner: Tom Theys/Vincent D'halluin (Publicis Brussels)

TV Producer: Marc Van Buggenhout (Publicis Brussels)

Web Production: Reed (Reed)

Digital Services Director: Nadia Dafir (Publicis Brussels)

Media placement: Indoor Posters - Vespasius - 28/04/2011

Media placement: Print Ad - La Libre Belgique - 23/04/2011

Media placement: Mobile/mini Site - http://www.predators-rsf.ne - 23/04/2011



Summary of the Campaign

Reporters Without Borders created the first ‘talking’ posters and distributed them in universities, cultural centers, public places, etc. The poster showed a picture of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran and a famous predator of press freedom, with a QR code in the bottom corner. By scanning this code and putting your iPhone on the mouth of the predator, you are directed to a movie, showing the lips of a journalist who’s telling what’s really happening nowadays in Iran. It ends with the following:



"Because there are mouths that will never speak the truth.

Reporters Without Borders. For press freedom."



The Situation

In April 2011 the 'Arab Spring' took place, a revolution that was led by people in Arab countries who dared for the first time in years to spread their opinion against the dictators who have been leading the countries for years. The Arab Spring was made possible by new technologies like Twitter and Facebook which give people a voice that can cross the borders



The Goal

Sensitise people in Europe that press freedom is indispensable. In Europe, press freedom is often taken for granted. But the death of 2 photographers in Lybia last April painfully showed us that press freedom is still in danger. Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF/ Reporters without Borders) wanted to approach people in a direct way to show them why press freedom is important for everyone.



The Strategy

The campaign was launched with perfect timing: April 2011, right at the time of the headlining 'Arab Spring'. Reporters without borders aimed for people on the streets with this campaign, but with a more specific target on influentials. That's why the posters were distributed in universities, political parliaments, cultural centres etc. The posters headed on news channels, and the important task of reporters without borders fighting for information freedom for everyone was discussed on influential blogs and news sites. As it used a revolutionary technique to talk about a revolution, it caught people's attention around the world.



Execution

We created the first ‘talking’ posters and distributed them in universities, cultural centres, public places, etc. The poster showed a picture of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran and a famous predator of press freedom, with a QR code in the bottom corner. By scanning this code and putting your iPhone on the mouth of the predator, you are directed to a movie, showing the lips of a journalist who’s telling what’s really happening nowadays in Iran. It ends with the following:



"Because there are mouths that will never speak the truth.

Reporters Without Borders. For press freedom."



People were then redirected to a website where they could find information about press freedom, the role of Reporters Without borders and where they could buy the Reporters Without Borders photo book.



Documented Results

• The campaign was translated spontaneously by journalists in threatened countries, especially in Iran, Russia and Libya where they found a symbol for their battle in our campaign and spread it massively.

• It was widely shared on the web via news sites/blogs and it has put the matter of press freedom on people’s agenda, which was our initial goal.

• In Belgium, there was a 25% increase in donations via sales of the annual RWB photography book.