THE NATIONAL DEBATE

TitleTHE NATIONAL DEBATE
BrandLEFFE
Product/ServiceLEFFE
Category D06. Live Advertising & Events
Entrant BBDO BELGIUM Brussels, BELGIUM
Idea Creation BBDO BELGIUM Brussels, BELGIUM
Media Placement VIZEUM Brussels, BELGIUM
PR OONA BENELUX Antwerp, BELGIUM
Production DEMONSTR8 Brussels, BELGIUM
Credits
Name Company Position
Jan Dejonghe BBDO Belgium Creative Director
Gilles André BBDO Belgium Creative
Ariane Floderer BBDO Belgium Creative
Daniel Schots BBDO Belgium Chief Commercial Officer
Antoine Bouvy BBDO Belgium Account Director
Ward Braeckevelt BBDO Belgium Account Manager
Jan Van Brakel BBDO Belgium Strategic planner
Kim Leunen BBDO Belgium Performance & experience planning lead
Michiel Dirickx BBDO Belgium Digital Campaign Executive
Jorrit Michiels BBDO Belgium Graphic Designer
Patricia Van De Kerckhove BBDO Belgium Head of RTV
Renée Vermeire BBDO Belgium RTV Producer & Art Buyer
Silke Ricour BBDO Belgium RTV Producer
Dejvi Vandeveire BBDO Belgium Videographer
Jasper Vanhauwaert BBDO Belgium Videographer
Valentin Taminiau BBDO Belgium Editor & Motion Designer
Jonas Van Gestel theblackbox Motion & video producer
Nicolas Van Poeck BBDO Belgium Sound Producer
Mathieu Schots BBDO Belgium Sound Engineer
Andy Vandeborne BBDO Belgium Copywriter
Siglinda Paquay BBDO Belgium Copywriter
David Vanderbiest BBDO Belgium Final Art
Glenn Rongé BBDO Belgium Director of Data
Karlien Fabré BBDO Belgium Digital Project Manager
Jonathan Pardon BBDO Belgium Digital Development Director
Orry Van Den Abbeele BBDO Belgium Content Manager
Jérôme De Boysère BBDO Belgium Front-end developer
Karine Uytterhoeven BBDO Belgium Traffic Director
Monique Van Moer BBDO Belgium Traffic Manager
Sven Rosius Demonstr8 Director of Strategy & Client Services
Arno Geets Demonstr8 Strategic Planner
Stein Watteeuw Demonstr8 Project Director
Sara Holbrecht Demonstr8 Senior Project Manager
Zaja Ketels Demonstr8 Account Executive
Melwin Koopmans Oona Antwerp Managing Director
Audrey Verhulst Oona Antwerp Senior Account Manager
Amélie Waterschoot Oona Antwerp Account Manager
Mathijs Vanduffel Vizeum Account Manager
Laurent Massart Vizeum Account Manager
Elise Fonck Vizeum Digital Planner
Virginie Verleysen Vizeum Social Expert
Arnaud Hanset AB Inbev Marketing Director
Mauranne Temot AB Inbev High-End Marketing Manager
Alexis Meeus AB Inbev Senior Brand Manager Leffe
Olivier De Pooter AB Inbev Digital Manager BU Central
Laure Stuyck AB Inbev External Communication Manager

Write a short summary of what happens in the digital or ambient execution or campaign.

Leffe invited 1000 Dutch-speaking and 1000 French-speaking Belgians to debate with each other at one of the 1000 terrace tables placed along the 400km language border dividing the North and the South of the country. Over the course of 5 days in the summer of 2019, 200 tables were placed at a different part of the border, giving as many people as possible the chance to debate with someone from the other side of the language border. At each table, there was a link to an online platform that the participants could access through their smartphones. The platform contained a questionnaire developed by a political scientist, with highly topical statements to spark the debate. Each table was provided with two (non-alcoholic) Leffe beers (and a phone number to order extra cold Leffe beers at their table) to smoothen the debates.

Cultural / Context information for the jury

Belgium is unlike any other country. It consists of 2 large communities, the Flemings (speaking Dutch) and the Walloons (speaking French), as well as a smaller German-speaking community. Over the past decades, the country has become more and more divided, with politicians polarizing and focusing on the differences between Flemings and Walloons for their own political gain. But when putting a Fleming and a Walloon together, you soon notice there’s more that unites them than divides them: they’re both kind, understanding and respectful of one another, and they both … love drinking beer. So when recent elections fragmented the political landscape even further (with the North of the country voting mainly for right-wing parties and the South for left-wing parties) and politicians refusing to work with each other, we decided to unite Flemings and Walloons in a debate across the language border over a Leffe, showing politicians the way forward.