The Brief

Stabilo makes Malaysia’s longest-lasting pen – the Marathon Pen. And this longevity makes it a most cost-effective buy as well as the ideal instrument for those who write a lot. Stabilo wanted its primary target – students – to know this.

Creative Execution

Students love congregating at bookshops and cafés, browsing through and reading displayed publications. So we displayed a publication they can browse through and read. We also felt that using the media as the message gave us greater impact when compared to just placing a pen ad in the newspaper – an ad students may or may not read.

Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective.

We produced a handwritten free newspaper. Everything – the news, the editorials, the pictures and ads – everything was rendered in pen before printing. We were after talk value amongst the students and rather than get a pretty demonstrator to promote the product, we decided to let the product do it. After all, what could be a more powerful demonstration of the longevity of the Sabilo Marathon Pen than a completely handwritten newspaper?

Results

Passed on and talked about, Handwritten Newspaper became a most effective use of limited budget. Higher returns on investment when compared to a more traditional media buy – estimated at over $80,000 in talk value.