Unlicensed Protest.
Lebanon's car registry had barely worked since 2019, leaving drivers without plates and facing fines. Transparency International Lebanon turned the empty plate holders into protest signs with lines like 'Until the bribing stops'.
- Brand
- Transparency International Lebanon
- Agency
- TBWA\RAAD
- Market
- Lebanon
- Region
- MENA
- Year
- 2024
The challenge
Corruption, underfunding and strikes kept the registry shut for long stretches, and when it opened, bribes were often needed to get anything processed. With almost no public transport, people kept driving unregistered cars while the government fined them and seized vehicles.
The idea
TBWA\RAAD gave citizens customisable protest plates carrying messages such as 'Until the registry reopens' and 'Until I get my driver's license'. A microsite collected petition signatures and protest messages, a pop-up plate shop near the registry printed the plates, and a convoy of cars drove from the north of Lebanon to the south. The campaign launched in December 2024, and the entry says the registry reopened in January 2025.
Results
- 8,000+ protest plates made and displayed, according to the Dubai Lynx entry
- 3 million+ online impressions, with coverage on MTV and Al Jadeed and in An-Nahar and L'Orient Today, by the entry's account
- The entry credits the campaign with the registry reopening and says 60 corrupt officials were brought to justice
Case study source: Dubai Lynx (Love The Work) Source ↗
Awards
- Dubai Lynx 2025Direct – Social Behaviour & Cultural InsightGold
- Dubai Lynx 2025Brand Experience & Activation – Guerrilla Marketing & StuntsBronze
- Dubai Lynx 2025Outdoor – TransitSilver
- Dubai Lynx 2025Outdoor – Social Behaviour & Cultural InsightGold
- Dubai Lynx 2025Direct – Small-Scale MediaBronze
- Dubai Lynx 2025Media – Not-for-profit / Charity / GovernmentSilver
Credits
- Creative agency
- TBWA\RAAD Dubai
- Production
- Triangle Professional Photography
- Media placement
- OMD
- Managing Director, TBWA\RAAD
- Joe Lahham
- Executive Creative Director, TBWA\RAAD
- Santiago Cuesta
- Regional Creative Director, TBWA\RAAD
- Georges Kyrillos
- Creative Director, TBWA\RAAD
- Christopher Ghorayeb
- Senior Art Director, TBWA\RAAD
- Jad Chidiac
- Junior Art Director, TBWA\RAAD
- Naya Kanaan
- PR & Communication, TBWA\RAAD
- Romy Abdelnour
- Account Director, TBWA\RAAD
- Diana Georges
- Copywriter, TBWA\RAAD
- Hiba Shmaysani
- Account Executive, TBWA\RAAD
- Georges Ghattas
- Executive Digital Director, TBWA\RAAD
- Rony Skaf
- Strategy, TBWA\RAAD
- Catherine Bannister
- Strategy, TBWA\RAAD
- Dana Naja
- PR & Communication, TBWA\RAAD
- Lea Moufarej
- Traffic, TBWA\RAAD
- Ezzat Habra
- Videographer, Triangle Professional Photography
- Maroun Trad
