Title	FIRST DATE SCREENING
Brand	ONE
Product/Service	DATINGPROGRAMME
Category	B02. Use of Ambient Media: Small Scale
Entrant	MUTANT Antwerp, BELGIUM
Idea Creation	MUTANT Antwerp, BELGIUM
Media Placement	MUTANT Antwerp, BELGIUM

Name	Company	Position
Odin Saillé	Mutant	Creative Director
Emilie Kino	Mutant	Client director
Loes Daemen	Mutant	Client manager
Johan Van Oeckel	Mutant	Art director
Olaf Meuleman	Mutant	Copywriter

Why is this work relevant for Direct?

The first peak of covid-19 left people socially isolated. So when restaurants reopened several months later, everyone was eager to get out and get social again. This eagerness was a big opportunity to get a reaction from people. We used this momentum and turned protective plexi screens in restaurants into targeted recruitment billboards. With a clear call to action: Star in the new season of First Dates? Apply now on een.be/firstdates, registrations poured in. We had 48% more applications than the year before that. On top of that, the applicants were far more diverse in gender and age.

Background

When the first peak of corona was over, bars and restaurants could reopen again in Belgium. However, there were a lot of safety rules: registration obligation, no menus on the tables and there had to be a minimum of 1,5 metres between the guests. Whenever that wasn’t possible, there had to be a protective screen between the guests.

Describe the creative idea (30% of vote)

At the same time Eén (that’s dutch for One), Belgians national TV channel, was preparing for a new season of First Dates. A TV show in which people who never met each other go on an actual first date, on camera. We made recruitment billboards in the form of plexi screens. The shape of the screen was made to look like a television and graphic elements were added on the plexi-glass. That way, it looked as if you were already on the show. The call to action was simple: ‘Star in the new season of First Dates? Apply now on een.be/firstdates’.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

How can we connect with each other in times where social distancing is king? By using one of the symbols of restriction as a new medium to promote a show that’s all about connecting with each other. The plexi screens were not a very pleasant experience, but we turned them into a completely new advertising medium. We used the dreaded plexi screens to our advantage and made it into something entertaining that inspired action. With these screens every dinner was made to look like a real, first date.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

On March 13th, all bars and restaurants were closed. In June it was announced that they would reopen on the 8th of June. The adapted screens were placed in restaurants in Brussels, Antwerp, Mechelen, Ghent and Leuven just in time to make their debut when they reopened after months of lockdown.

List the results (30% of vote)

Reactions on the screens were unanimously positive. Most people don’t enjoy these plexi screens in restaurants so turning them into something fun was very much appreciated. The screens resulted in a staggering increase of applicants by 48%. An added bonus was that the applicants were more diverse in both gender and age than first season’s applicants. Making it easier for Eén to match and create successful first dates.