ECSTASY, A SMELLY BUSINESS

TitleECSTASY, A SMELLY BUSINESS
BrandOPENBAAR MINISTERIE
Product/ServicePUBLIC AWARENESS
Category G05. Breakthrough on a Budget
Entrant ROORDA RECLAMEBUREAU Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
Idea Creation ROORDA RECLAMEBUREAU Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
PR EXPRTEASE Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
Production ROORDA RECLAMEBUREAU Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
Credits
Name Company Position
Joeri Jansen Roorda Reclamebureau Creative Director
Willem Droog Roorda Reclamebureau Copywriter
Justin van Creij Roorda Reclamebureau Art Director
Jorn Slotboom Roorda Reclamebureau Designer
Edzart Bentinck exPRtease PR Manager
Rosalie Sentse Roorda Reclamebureau Producer
Ellis Vis Roorda Reclamebureau Account Manager

Why is this work relevant for Direct?

With minimal means (15k), big impact was created (amount of ecstasy waste dumps cut in half). This entry proves creativity can make the difference even when it comes to national security. Creativity can activate citizens (increase of citizen reports of suspicious smell) and by doing so help law enforcement who are under immense pressure these days. A simple idea with a huge spin-off in free publicity and great results. The amount of ecstasy waste dump sites was cut in half since the start of the campaign.

Background

Ecstasy is a hot topic in the Netherlands. Ecstasy labs, often located in residential areas, come with the danger of toxic substances, gasses, fire and explosions. The impact on society increases as labs become more hazardous and toxic waste is being dumped in the public domain, leading to bigger risks for public health and environmental damage.  The brief: make people aware of possible ecstasy labs and dumpings in their neighborhood a help law enforcement to track down ecstasy labs and create Objectives: 1. make the public aware of the risks of ecstasy labs 2. reduce (25%) the amount of waste dumping 3. help locate and dismantle ecstasy labs

Describe the creative idea (30% of vote)

To make citizens aware of the distinct smell, and have them recognize and report it as a nearby drug lab, we launched a new fragrance: XTACY. As with most introductions of new fragrances, a street team in a busy shopping street handed out the familiar ‘testers’. Den Bosch, capital city of the province with the highest density of drug labs, was the place to kick off the campaign. On the back of these samples, people read our call to action. “Recognize this smell? There's a big chance you’re near a drug lab or a dumping site. Please call 0800- 6070.”

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

The increasing number of labs poses a big challenge for law enforcement, so citizen support is a welcome help. While unaware of the presence of a lab, citizens often can notice a distinct (anise) smell. We want to make citizens aware of the smell, and by doing so add 17 million (Dutch population) detective noses to the team.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

We launched a new perfume, called Xtacy, that has the same distinct smell as ecstasy labs do. We launched it in the capital of the so-called drug province of Europe, Den Bosch. A street team gave away samples, after we handed the first sample to Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, which received a lot of media attention. Because of all this free publicity mentioning the distinct anise smell, even people who didn’t physically experience the perfume could still recognize the smell of ecstasy labs and waste. We also offered all Dutch municipalities a perfume promo kit they would then exhibit in public buildings like police stations, libraries and town halls. Total budget: 15k (Euro)

List the results (30% of vote)

Within hours of handing out the first sample to Prime Minister Mark Rutte, word of this suspicious ‘anise’ scent spread through the nation. All national media outlets covered the event, with a total media value of 1.5 million Euros (and counting). And it wasn't just national media. Even international press covered the launch of our fragrance. More and more citizens got involved and notified the police about the suspicious anise scent. Thanks to the large media coverage (25 million earned impressions), Dutch people now link the typical anise smell to ecstasy production or waste. As a result, criminals realized they could no longer dump their waste without getting noticed due to the smell, and the amount of ecstasy waste dump sites was cut in half since the start of the campaign.