| Title | THE SEA CEMETERY |
| Brand | SUPPORT TO LIFE |
| Product/Service | SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY |
| Category |
A07. Charities, Public Health & Safety, Public Awareness Messages |
|
Entrant
|
TBWA\ISTANBUL, TURKEY
|
|
Idea Creation
|
TBWA\ISTANBUL, TURKEY
|
Credits
| Ilkay Gurpinar |
TBWA\ISTANBUL |
Chief Creative Officer |
| Volkan Karakasoglu |
TBWA\ISTANBUL |
Executive Creative Director |
| Eser Yazici |
TBWA\ISTANBUL |
Group Head |
| Alpan Esen |
TBWA\ISTANBUL |
Copywriter |
| Cem Cetin |
TBWA\ISTANBUL |
Copywriter |
| Ozge Guven |
TBWA\ISTANBUL |
Art Director |
| Ahmet Ulku |
TBWA\ISTANBUL |
Art Director |
| Serhat Poyraz |
TBWA\ISTANBUL |
Digital Team |
| Evren Ozbozdagli |
TBWA\ISTANBUL |
Digital Team |
| Ceren Ozen |
TBWA\ISTANBUL |
Agency Producer |
| Lerzan Kuzgun |
TBWA\ISTANBUL |
Agency Producer |
| Hakan Gulsoy |
TBWA\ISTANBUL |
Print Production Manager |
| Melis İnceer |
TBWA\ISTANBUL |
Brand Management |
| Melis Senol |
TBWA\ISTANBUL |
Brand Management |
| Bida Yusan |
TBWA\ISTANBUL |
Brand Management |
| Ceren Sehitoglu |
TBWA\ISTANBUL |
Strategic Planning |
| Can Değerli |
TBWA\ISTANBUL |
Strategic Planning |
| Ismet Kurtulus |
Jaguar Projects |
Director |
| Tolga Topcu |
Jaguar Projects |
Producer |
The Campaign
In memory of thousands of refugees who died trying to cross the Mediterranean, we created a sea cemetery. The cemetery was constructed in the Mediterranean exactly where many refugees lost their lives.
Execution
In memory of thousands of refugees who died trying to cross the Mediterranean, we created The Sea Cemetery installation, which consists of hundreds of tombstones. The cemetery was constructed in the Mediterranean exactly where the refugees lost their lives. The Sea Cemetery installation and various interviews with refugees was filmed. The video was aired on TV and spread on the Internet to reach as many people as possible. Simultaneously, theseacemetery.com, where people can learn more about the refugee crises and take action, has been launched to get the attention of millions.
The work was successful in drawing public attention back to the Syrian refugee issue as it began to disappear. The increase in awareness was not merely about the social issue. Through the work, Support To Life managed to increase its brand awareness among the socially concerned audience. More importantly, this awareness showed a tendency to turn into action. Traffic to Support To Life website increased which led to a further increase in donations. In just a week, we had 450% increase in supporttolife.org's traffic, 180% increase in donations and 225 new contributors.
The Situation
Support To Life is a humanitarian agency that works with disaster-stricken communities to help them meet their needs and rights. Syrian refugees are among these communities that Support To Life have been executing projects for. Just as the Syrian refugee topic was fading away in the media, and life was going back to normal in the Mediterranean region, a floating cemetery appeared on the surface of the sea. The Sea Cemetery work is relevant for PR Lions by increasing visibility of both the social issue and Support To Life organisation in public agenda.
The Strategy
Our goal was to get the attention of everyone around the world as the global discussions around refugees was starting to cool down and lose its relevance. So we had a wide target audience. In order to enhance the effect of our storytelling, we searched and contacted actual refugees who have lost their loved ones in midst of their journey to freedom. In the film, we told the story through their individual stories.