0
video views in under 10 days
0
mosquitos killed
0
awards, including the Project Isaac Award for Innovation
Challenge
The “neglected tropical disease” Zika hit the headlines in the summer of 2016 during the Rio Olympics and Paralympics. Agencies NBS and Posterscope Brazil developed innovative technology that transformed out-of-home advertising billboards into traps to eliminate the mosquitos carrying the disease.
One of the targets of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals ,“Good health and well-being” focuses on “neglected tropical diseases”. Zika, as one of those communicable diseases, is no longer one of them: it came to global prominence when it was thrust into the spotlight during the Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games when the World Health Organisation (WHO) called it a “global emergency”.
With athletes and tourists descending on Brazil, agencies NBS and Posterscope wanted to do something to tackle the source of the problem: the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, often a carrier of the disease.
Solution
Together the two Dentsu Aegis Network agencies combined forces to devise what might be one of the most innovative weapons against the virus: a billboard that not only raises awareness of neglected tropical diseases, but kills thousands of potentially harmful mosquitos at the same time. It was a combination of creativity and technology that really re-invented what advertising could do in the fight against the spread of communicable diseases.
The Mosquito Killer Billboard is an ingenious device which releases an airborne solution, attracting the Aedes Aegypti mosquitos from up to 4km away. The airborne solution contains lactic acid and carbon dioxide, to mimic the smell of human sweat and breathing.
When the mosquitos are in the vicinity, a powerful fluorescent bulb combined with a fan than draws the insects in before finally catching them on the large white sticky billboard. Billboards that were located in and near areas of outbreaks of zika and dengue fever were chosen to be transformed into Mosquito Killer Billboards.
Result
The billboards ran for two months at the height of Brazil's summer season, killing about 100 mosquitoes a day and more than 30,000 of the pests overall.
The project captured worldwide imagination and was featured in dozens of international and national publications, featuring BBC News, Daily Mail, Huffington Post, Newsweek, Creative Review The Scientist, Telegraph, Adland, Engadget, Gizmodo, Wired, the Verge, Fortune, Stats News, Vice, Campaign, The Drum, Little Black Book, Uproxx, and AdWeek.
In less than 10 days, the case study uploaded to the NBS YouTube site was viewed more than 100,000 times. And it won more than 30 awards including the prestigious Project Isaac Award for Innovation in the adverting industry and a Cannes Lions.
"The physical aspects of the OOH medium were transformed into an ingenious tool but beyond that, the agencies made the design of the billboard and the technology freely available online via the Creative Commons, with its designs downloaded 328 times in the first week. This encourages others to adopt the technology and use outdoor advertising infrastructure to permanently fight communicable diseases."Judy Austin, Boston University marketing professor
BWM Dentsu: Project Revoice
Activating silent voices with a program to digitally clone ALS patients’ voices so they can keep communicating as themselves even after they can no longer physically speak.
Vizeum: GhanaPostGPS
Generating conversion for GhanaPostGPS through early engagement, awareness and measurable customer actions.
Isobar: Aeronaut
Driving engagement with William Patrick Corgan's new single through a blend of creativity and technology to create a world-first VR experience.
GoalKeepers17: Rallying around Global Goals
As part of the UN's Common Ground initiative, all of its members have committed to raise awareness of its Sustainable Development Goals amongst businesses and consumers.
BC&F Dentsu: Heart Foundation
Everyone thinks they know what a heart attack looks like, but they’re almost always wrong. This campaign drew attention to the subtle warning signs and actually saved a life.
Isobar & Carat: Dis-Moi Elliot
Dis-Moi Elliot (translated as Tell Me, Elliot) was a campaign that aimed to reduce prejudice about autism through an innovative, interactive and experimental website.
Malaria No More: A movement to end malaria
The #MalariaMustDie campaign has been supported by a range of agencies both inside and outside the Dentsu Aegis Network with the end goal being to rally the public support for political action.
360i: Change the Picture
The #ChangeThePicture campaign focused on changing the picture of male mental health.
Fetch: Telegraph Media Group
Driving loyalty for The Telegraph with targeted app download campaigns and personalised re-engagement.
BWM Dentsu: Qantas
Activating new business in the USA by helping more Americans travel to Australia with Qantas, by giving them a free passport.
iProspect: Eurostar
Driving conversion by establishing Eurostar as Europe's most-loved travel experience, using market-leading data strategy that would enable us to create real connections effectively.
Firstborn: Adidas
Firstborn created a mobile-first campaign that increased awareness for the NMD launch and drove engagement with Adidas’ core audience.
Isobar: Enterprise
Isobar helped Enterprise, a multi-billion dollar business, achieve double digit growth in sales through its web channels and used digital to accelerate expansion into 25+ countries.
HelloWorld: Royal Caribbean
Royal Caribbean wanted to drive awareness and buzz for their newest ship. HelloWorld launched an eight-month interactive engagement hub that rewarded exploration and incorporated regional activa...
Merkle: Aviva
A 300-year-old global financial services company rooted in heritage delivers phenomenal results by becoming agile and customer-led.
Vizeum: E.ON
Through a brand stories content strategy Vizeum positioned E.ON as a purpose-led brand focused on energy supply, renewables and energy networks.
Carat: Arla
Activating positive sales and trust in Arla's product by using media channels to emotional and engage the audience.
Grip: Testicular Cancer Canada
Grip invited Canadians to share their most hilarious, most mortifying stories to show that compared to lots of other stuff we all go through, talking to your doctor about your testicles is hardl...