Week Two- 7Up Wall of Music
As part of 7Up’s relaunch campaign, we wanted to create buzz around the brand’s new positioning by bringing to life what 7up stands for in an interactive way. We wanted people to experience the brand’s purpose of “Originality to spread the positive beat” in a surprising, engaging manner.
Our insight
The unstable geo-political situation in the Middle East has hit youth the hardest. The economy is sinking, jobs are scarce and the overall confidence in a better future has never been weaker.
In Lebanon, the economic situation is equally grim with unemployment reaching an all-time high of 35%. Yet, Lebanon proves to be the most positive country in our region, fuelled by its relentless hope in the future, its ability to turn the negative into positive – just by looking at things in a different light. Lebanon presented the perfect premise for the launch of 7Up’s new positioning that revolves around acts of originality to spread positivity and courage.
Our research showed that 7Up was lacking a deeper connection with the youth, mainly caused by the ‘functional’ perception the brand had gained throughout the years: the ultimate Lemon and Lime refresher. Our challenge was to do something different that would stand out, create buzz and perpetuate a positive impression on our audience.
A day to remember
April 13th marks Remembrance Day in Lebanon, the 40th anniversary of the civil war that tore the country apart for 15 years. The bullet-riddled walls that people walk by every day in Beirut are a grim reminder of the difficult and violent past.
In a region where the sounds of bullets are growing louder and louder, 7Up wanted to inspire people to look at these walls in a whole new light. We knew that Facebook and YouTube command the highest view and engagement rates in the region when it comes to videos. Moreover, videos perform best when uploaded on their respective channels. Our aim was to counter all the war-related content found on social media in the region with a message of peace, love and music.
The Wall of Music
We went to the green line conflict zone that separated West and East Beirut and created a very special wall: The Wall of Music. The Wall of Music was installed in Beirut Souks, depicting painted musical lines over a bullet-ridden wall with motion-activated sensors that interacted and activated with passers-by to unleash an uplifting melody, transforming bullet holes into musical notes. We then invited the band Bel Arabi to compose a song to commemorate the day, as the crowds started singing along ‘no more wars, no more bullets, just the sound of music, the sound of hope’.
A documented online film capturing the people’s interaction with the Wall of Music and went viral to spread positivity in the whole region. We utilised keyword targeting with terms like “bullets” and “civil war” to reach people searching for war-related material online and provided them with a positive response. We uploaded two separate copies (English and Arabic) on YouTube and Facebook and pushed out the videos with paid media support to reach critical mass.
The results:
The activation reached over 1.1 million people and the video was viewed over 646,000 times. With the total population of Lebanon being only 4 million, our video reached almost 28% of the population!
Consumers experienced the brand positioning in an interactive way and we achieved 97% positive sentiment across all mentions. Moreover, our Brand Index also reported positive results with a 65% increase in buzz and 47% increase in positive reputation. Word of mouth around this positive activation rose by 46%. With regards to earned media, the execution received more than $222,000 in added value.
Finally, the lingering sound of bullets was replaced by a more positive beat, making Remembrance Day this year truly a day to remember.
The 7Up Wall of Music campaign was a great collaboration between Impact BBDO Dubai and OMD MENA.