Title	N23. A FRAGRANCE BASED ON REAL EVENTS
Brand	NOVAYA GAZETA
Product/Service	THE BOYCOTT OF THE OPENING OF THE PERFUME BOUTIQUE IN THE "THE HOUSE OF EXECUTIO
Category	F02. Environmental / Social Impact
Entrant	ACTION Moscow, RUSSIA
Idea Creation	ACTION Moscow, RUSSIA
PR	ACTION Moscow, RUSSIA

Name	Company	Position
Nikita Petrusev	Action	Chief Creative Officer
Artem Bryksin	Action	Senior Art Director
Ekaterina Volkova	Action	Senior Copywriter

Background

According to a pan-national survey, 46% of Russians aged 18-24 have never heard about mass repressions in the USSR. And it is encouraged by the government. One of the symbols of Stalinist terror — “The House of executions” at Nikolskaya, 23 (in which 31,456 people were shot dead) has been sold to a businessman on familiar terms with the government. He decided to open there a perfume boutique in 2019. Most Russians didn't know anything about that because government tried to do everything quietly. When “Novaya Gazeta” - the leading oppositional newspaper - has learned about the fact, it decided to declare about this as loud as possible. Our main goal was to change the future of the house, create public awareness and call to boycott any commercial use of the building. The project budget was 53,000 RUB (about 900 USD). This money was to produce 30 samples of N23.

Describe the creative idea (40% of vote)

The main idea was to create a vivid symbol of this insane act of vandalism to mobilize both public opinion and influential people who can change the fate of the building. So we defined our target audience: 1)The owner of the building, major businessmen and the Moscow government. 2) Leading domestic and international media (as a tool to reach the first audience) 3) The wide public not indifferent to the historical memory of Russia. (as the energy that fills the project).

Describe the execution (40% of vote)

Contrast is the primary artistic technique used in the project. It emphasizes the absurdity of opening a glamorous perfume boutique in “The House of executions”. Outside, premium perfume packaging: a snow-white box with a soft-touch surface, an embossed logo, and a black silk ribbon. Inside, a weightless black tissue paper and an elegant sticker branded with the No. 23 logo. And you expect the content to match the packaging. But when you unfold the paper, you see a handful of soil from the Kommunarka execution yard. The Kommunarka execution yard is a mass grave site located not far from Moscow. It was used for the burial of people shot in the house at Nikolskaya 23. A bed of soil holds a vial made from vintage Soviet shell case. The vial contains perfume scented with gunpowder and moist soil.

List the results (20% of vote)

The opening of the elite perfumery boutique VUM in 2019, did not take place. The Moscow government agreed opening a memorial museum at Nikolskaya 23. (It is the latest news, so the fact is not presented in case film). Many investors expressed interest in purchasing the building and supporting the museum, including the president of Russia's second-largest bank, VTB. All of this has become possible due to public outrage. With a budget of 900 USD we received about 200 media publications such as BBC, The Times, Le Monde, El Pais and other media in 32 countries. The project was covered by many lifestyle media: Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, and Esquire, which revealed the truth to potential customers of the boutique. (Earned media value of USD 8 mln) 46,000 people responded to our call and signed an online petition in support of the idea of a museum at Nikolskaya 23.