Title	THE WALL
Brand	BETV
Product/Service	BROADCASTING
Category	B05. Use of Ambient Media: Large Scale
Entrant	HAPPINESS BRUSSELS Brussels, BELGIUM
Idea Creation	HAPPINESS BRUSSELS Brussels, BELGIUM

Name	Company	Position
Frederic Campodonico	BeTV	Directeur Commercial
Stéphanie Charguerot	BeTV	Product Manager
Caroline Kassis	BeTV	Communication Manager
Karen Corrigan	Happiness / an FCB alliance	Executive Creative Management
Geoffrey Hantson	Happiness / an FCB alliance	Chief Creative Officer
Philippe Fass	Happiness / an FCB alliance	Creative Director
Pieter Claeys	Happiness / an FCB alliance	Concept Provider
Roxane Schneider	Happiness / an FCB alliance	Concept Provider
Barbara Dzikanowice	Happiness / an FCB alliance	Concept Provider
Katrien Bottez	Happiness / an FCB alliance	Senior Creative Coach
Pascal Kemajou	Happiness / an FCB alliance	Group Account Director
Camille Martin-Schmets	Happiness / an FCB alliance	Account Executive
Isabelle Koelman	Happiness / an FCB alliance	Strategic Director
Lisa Gadeyne	Happiness / an FCB alliance	DOP
Sumi Acros Mina	Happiness / an FCB alliance	DOP
Sophie Gunsbourg	Happiness / an FCB alliance	Agency Producer
Kassandra Donia	Happiness / an FCB alliance	DTP
Alexandra Carosielli	Happiness / an FCB alliance	DTP
Remke Faber	Happiness / an FCB alliance	Head of Motion

Why is this work relevant for Media?

Promoting a highly provocative show in a highly provocative guerilla way. This is one of the few times where people could actually experience how the show ‘feels’ by the way the media is being used.

Background

BeTv is a Belgian Broadcaster. They bring the best series, films and documentaries from all over the world, mostly as the first one to air in Belgium. Brief: BeTv wanted to air the new controversial Sacha Baron Cohen show ‘who is America’. Political Satire Prank Television about the real face of America. The brief was crystal clear: Come up with a stunt to promote the show that is as controversial as the show itself.

Describe the creative idea/insights

To launch ‘Who is America’, the new controversial Sacha Baron Cohen political satire show, in Belgium broadcaster BeTv made an out of home installation as controversial as the show itself: overnight, without informing the owners, real walls were built in front of three Mexican restaurants. Mimicking US President Trump’s promise to buid a wall on the US-Mexican border. On those walls we’ve put the globally used poster that announces the show.

Describe the strategy

Target audience was obviously all BeTv and all Sacha Baron Cohen fans. Instead of flatly announcing the show, we decided to create a stunt as controversial as the stunt itself. We invited journalist to show up in the early morning at 3 addresses (the Mexican restaurants), without informing them why, only that it has something to do with the launch of ‘Who is America’. We also filmed the building of the walls to be able to spread the guerilla stunt in social, as we assumed that we would have to take downs the wall quite fast.

Describe the execution

At 4am, at 3 different addresses of 3 different Mexican restaurant we started building a wall in front of the restaurant. At the same time. Without informing the owners. Once build we put up the official and global ‘Who is America’ announcement poster. In the morning they discovered. We filmed the whole stunt and started sharing it via social by midday, day after. We also invited journalists to come and have a look at the whole to make sure they join the conversation.

List the results

None of the owners of the restaurants were informed ahead of time about the stunt, though none complained. On the contrary, they all had a lot of sympathy for the idea. That may be because BeTV likely didn’t make them pay for the wall of course ;-). The idea quickly made the news in Belgium and was also quickly building all over the internet. However, after just a few days, BeTv was forced to take everything down – the social film and all the internet communication about the stunt that was. By whom? We guess you know…