Long Live The Resistance – The Musical
Issue 17 | December 2010
Agency
Shackleton
Creative Team
Heads Of Creativity: Juan Nonzioli, Juan Silva, Nacho Guillo; Creative Directors: Nacho Guillo, Victor Aguilar, Pablo Gonzalez de la Pena (AD); Digital Creative Directors: Alfonso Marian, Monica Balanzategui ; Art Directors: Lucia Agudo, Margarita Mora; Events Creative Team: Borja de la Rocha, Diana Orero, Guillermo Garcia, David Rigote
Production Team
Audiovisual Production: Manuela Zamora ; Graphic and Events Production: Itxaro Vicuna ; Digital Production: Joaquin Garcia Morato
Other Credits
General Account Manager: Pablo Alzugaray, Javier Suso; Account Management Team: Elvis Santos, Sheila Alvarez ; Digital Account Team: Sascha Kraft, Ana Caballero; PR & Social Media Team: Eva Leoz, Lara Garcia; Events Account Supervisor: Marta Peloche
Date
July 2009
Background
ADESAM wanted to raise awareness about cervical cancer and encourage women to find out more about the illness and how it can be successfully treated.
The agency felt strongly that conventional advertising on its own would not stimulate the desire for more information.
Idea
In partnership with the music radio station 40 Principales, the idea was to create a musical called “Viva La Resistencia”, an unbeat portrayal of the fight against cancer that both informed and instructed.
Loosely the plot is about two young loverts who are about to flee from a war zone. At the railway station, however, the girl decides not to leave with her lover but to join La Resistencia, a group of women whose risky mission is to fight the enemy and capture the radio frequency device they have in their possession. The enemy is striong but La Resistencia cannot be defeated.
The show went on tour, showing in theatres across across Spain. In addition,the young, gifted and popular singer Amaia Montero made it a part of her live concerts.
TV and press ads supported the musical.
A direct mail piece wrapped in barbed wire went to opinion formers inviting them to the show and asking them to help bring down the barriers that were preventing people from understanding and dealing with cervical cancer.
The website invited visitors to record and add their voices to the massive choir as it sang, and which was used in the live performances.
A Roadshow bus followed the musical wherever it went, providing information and assistance.
Results
69,316,645 news impressions about the musical; 25,946,105 about the roadshow with PR generated to a value of €700,000.
37,900 people saw the musical in theatres. It was also broadcast 11 times on the 40 Principales TV channel. 9,764 people visited the Roadshow bus and took away a leaflet.
The “Ignorantes” video was the second most-viewed video on Youtube in Spain the week after the musical had its premiere.
The campaign prompted 86% of women to go to their doctors and ask about cervical cancer and its prevention, exceeding objectives x 344.
Our Thoughts
Shackleton pitched once for an account and did not win but a week later the client called up and said, “I’m giving you a second chance.” The agency went back and pitched again. “Stop, stop,” cried the client after five minutes. “This is exactly the same pitch that you gave us last time.” “We believed in it then, we believe in it now,” answered Pablo Alzugaray, Shackleton’s CEO.
The agency has passion and conviction like no other and they would have needed both in abundance to get this idea off the ground. But passion and conviction are ridiculous without ambition and Shackleton always set their goals high. The astonishing results of this campaign justify the means but there must have been unnerving moments in the early stages when people must have questioned the wisdom of singing about cancer.