Winners & Shortlists

BLACKMAILING LAWYERS

Bronze Eurobest

Case Film

Presentation Board

TitleBLACKMAILING LAWYERS
BrandORDE VAN VLAAMSE BALIES
Product/ServiceFLEMISH LAWYERS ASSOCIATION
Category D02. COSTS/CREATIVE PERFORMANCE PR CAMPAIGN
Entrant Company FAMOUS BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
Advertising Agency FAMOUS BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
Credits
Name Company Position
Tim Driesen Famous Brussels Creative Director
Iwein Vandevyver Famous Brussels Associate Creative Director
Laurent Dochy Famous Brussels Digital Creative Director
Iwein Vandevyver Famous Brussels Creative
Laurent Dochy Famous Brussels Creative
Marlies Neudt Famous Brussels Project Leader
Stijn Huyberechts Famous Brussels Web Development
Pieter Jan Claessens Famous Brussels Dop/Editing
Kathy Van Looy Famous Brussels Pr
Anne Cécile Collignon Famous Brussels Pr

The Campaign

The Flemish Lawyers’ Association wanted to communicate the importance of intellectual property and cybersquatting. As these aren't the most easy or appealing subjects, we were always on the lookout for opportunities to get their message delivered in a relevant way, close to its consumers. An opportunity arose when Radio 1, Belgium’s National News Radio, announced a complete rebranding, including a brand new baseline: “Always curious". A few days prior to their launch, we noticed one important flaw: they didn’t register the url ‘AlwaysCurious.be’. So we immediately bought this domain name for only 9 euros and launched a page on AlwaysCurious.be On this microsite the lawyers started blackmailing: Radio 1 could get their domain name back in exchange for a few minutes on their radio station. Then we send this simple message to the journalists of Radio 1: Always curious how Radio 1 will react: AlwaysCurious.be Within hours, we got exactly what we wanted: precious air time in their most popular morning show to talk about cybersquatting and intellectual property. All major media in Belgium picked up our simple stunt immediately, with media coverage worth over 350.000 euros. So by being on the lookout and picking the perfect moment, we translated a difficult subject in a clear and understandable way, making it relevant to all consumers. And all this for only 9 euros.

The Brief

Our goal was not only to raise awareness for issues as intellectual property and cybersquatting but also to make clear that lawyers are the experts in this domain and that they actually can prevent problems. As this is not the sexiest topic to talk about, it was of the utmost importance that we could reach people in a relevant way, close to their day-to-day lives, without scaring them off. Our target group: educated people, business owners, independents, etc.

Results

Within hours: precious air time in the most popular morning show to talk about cybersquatting and intellectual property. Our message was broadcasted by the most ideal medium: Radio 1, the leading radio station for 30+ higher educated people, perfect for reaching a broad ‘business’ target group. Our simple stunt was picked up immediately by all major media in Flanders, with a media coverage worth over 350.000 euros. Knowing that Flanders only has around 5 million inhabitants, with 5 newspapers, 6 large radio channels and 6 large TV channels, this is rather huge. In the week following the blackmailing event, traffic on the site of the Flemish Lawyers’ Association increased by 600%. By being on the lookout and waiting for the perfect moment, we translated a difficult subject in a clear and understandable way, close to their day-to-day lives. And all that for only... 9 euros.

Execution

When we found out that Radio 1 didn't register the url of their brand new baseline "Always curious" we immediately bought this url for only 9 euros and launched a page on AlwaysCurious.be. On this microsite the lawyers started blackmailing: Radio 1 could get their domain name back in exchange for some precious minutes on their radio station to talk about cybersquatting and intellectual property. Then we send this simple message to the journalists of Radio 1: Always curious how Radio 1 will react: AlwaysCurious.be (As this was on the very first day they used their new baseline on air, we were pretty sure they would take this very personal.) Within hours, Radio 1 responded.

The Situation

OVB is the Flemish Lawyers’ Association. Their core business is preventing problems, but people often only consider them when it’s actually too late. This is very unfortunate, as consulting a lawyer in an early stage can prevent a lot of problems.

The Strategy

We were always on the lookout for opportunities to get our message delivered in a relevant way. An opportunity arose when Radio 1, Belgium’s National News Radio, announced a complete rebranding, including a brand-new baseline: “Always curious" A few days prior to their launch, we noticed one important flaw: they didn’t register the URL ‘AlwaysCurious.be’. It gave us the perfect moment to highlight the importance of consulting a lawyer in advance for issues as intellectual property and cybersquatting. By targeting Radio 1, we knew we would attract the right audience: educated people eager to know and learn new things. And by having lawyers blackmailing Radio 1, we made sure to grab their attention and made them listen to our message.