THE BOOK OF #BELGIANROADS

TitleTHE BOOK OF #BELGIANROADS
BrandMITSUBISHI
Product/ServiceSUV'S
Category A03. Durable Consumer Goods including Automotive
Entrant LDV UNITED Antwerp, BELGIUM
Idea Creation LDV UNITED Antwerp, BELGIUM
Media Placement MEDIA*A Auderghem, BELGIUM
PR OONA BENELUX Antwerp, BELGIUM
Production LDV UNITED Antwerp, BELGIUM
Credits
Name Company Position
Dennis Vandewalle LDV United Creative Director
Dries De bruyn LDV United Creative Director
Jannis Min Jou LDV United Art Director
Thomas De Boeck LDV United Copywriter
Dimitri Mundorff LDV United Client Services Director
Julie Oostvogels LDV United Account Director
Innie Tran LDV United Account Manager
Pieter Van Schil LDV United Account Executive
Jef Raeman LDV United Strategy Director
Jeffrey Uten LDV United Design Director
Sandra Wulffaert LDV United DTP

Why is this work relevant for Direct?

We targetted everybody with a somewhat decent camera or smartphone who loves photography. We had a small budget so we had supertargetted ads on sites about photography, where they sell photography equipment and on social media. We also send a DM to photography schools to spread our message and get people to contribute to our ode.

Background

The Mitsubishi cars are extremely robust and reliable. We wanted to show that they were not made to shine in a showroom, but they are built for the not so perfect reality of everyday life. At the same time, as a smaller brand, we were faced with the challenge of re-generating PR after all media attention our 'Built for Belgian roads' campaign had.

Describe the creative idea (30% of vote)

To honour our Belgian roads, we brought a homage to the pitiful though beautiful Belgian roads by publishing a photobook with the most beautiful photos - 57 in total - compiled in "The Book Of #BelgianRoads".

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

Every Belgian gets annoyed by the bad quality of our roads. Our road reputation extends beyond our country borders. But where these bad road conditions are often a source of frustration, they are a source of inspiration for Mitsubishi. Of raw beauty. It depends on how you look at it or even better: which car you drive. Because Mitsubishi cars help you conquer these Belgian roads. We wanted to pay homage to those roads and asked the public to help. We reached our target group of influencers, photography students and amateur photographers via targeted social ads and banners. We started by namedropping famous photographers who were also going to be published in the book so amateur photographers could aspire to be published in the same book. All of this led to a tangible brand experience by enabling consumers via digital platforms to be part of the tribute to our roads.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

We challenged top photographers such as Noortje Palmers, Jimmy Kets and Bieke Depoorter to capture the pitiful beauty of our Belgian roads. We launched a landing page www.belgianroads.be and used social media to challenge amateur photographers to participate. Everyone with a somewhat decent camera or smartphone was given the opportunity to see their photo bundled in our book alongside images from true top photographers. After 3 weeks, there were more than 700 entries. The jury, led by Magnum photographer Carl De Keyzer and curator Ingrid Deuss, selected 45 images for 'The Book of #BelgianRoads'. The book's release was supported via PR, posts on the social media channels of participating top photographers and influencers. "The Book of #BelgianRoads" was also included in the assortment by stores such as Passa Porta and Copyright. We only had 300 copies sold to the public to keep it exclusive.

List the results (30% of vote)

We got more than 700 online entries and alot of social media sharing by honoured photographers. We also got a lot of media coverage. Various newspapers, blogs and magazines wrote about this and it was also tipped by specific media as a must-have collector's item or gift tip. The copies in the bookstores, Passa Porta and Copyright, were completely sold out. We had 31 press clippings vs a KPI of 13. With a media coverage in print and online in newspapers and magazines like the Weekend Knack, De Morgen Magazine, DS Magazine, Style Trends. And a lot of coverage on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. We had a total reach of 10.449.966 (over double of our KPI of 5.000.000). On top of that, our total ad value was €226.715 vs a KPI of €150.000. Last but not least, Mitsubishi had 30% more requested offers compared to last year.