Why is this work relevant for Direct?

The product itself carreid the idea which seemlessly reached out the every single reader and conveyed the messged in a most simple and effective fashion.

Background

When phase 2 of the Covid lockdown in India ended, many people behaved as if the pandemic itself had ended. Looking at the situation, Free Press Journal, a newspaper brand, decided to dedicate their entire 16-page newspaper to address and remind people about the pandemic which had created fear, panic and have taken many lives in two-odd months. We literally cancelled words like Corona, Covid-19, pandemic, quarantine, lockdown, death etc. with a red stroke over the black text through all 16 pages. The message we wanted to give out is that our collective fight against Covid-19 will be successful, only when we cancel out each and every Covid-19 case from India. This was an interesting way to remind readers and urge every Indian to continue following precautions so that we achieve success in our mission as soon as possible.

Describe the creative idea (30% of vote)

The message was integrated with the product in such a way that the product became the message - we literally cancelled words like Corona, Covid-19, pandemic, quarantine, lockdown, death etc. with a red stroke over the black text through all 16 pages of the newspaper to communicate the message.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

Covid-related ads were seen across media and people were bored of seeing the same message which were becoming a blind spot. That's why, we decided to make the newspaper into a message.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

The message was integrated with the product in such a way that the product became the message - we literally cancelled words like Corona, Covid-19, pandemic, quarantine, lockdown, death etc. with a red stroke over the black text through all 16 pages of the newspaper to communicate the message.

List the results (30% of vote)

The newspaper-cum-warning reached millions of homes that morning, got noticed and talked about on social media, especially due to the simplicity of the message, across age groups.