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Entrant: VML Hungary, Budapest
Brand: Líra
Title: "Unsealed Books"
Where was this broadcast?: Spotify, Lira.hu webshop
Corporate Name of Client: Líra
Clients: Krisztián Nyáry/Anna Bérczes
Agency: VML Hungary, Budapest
Global Chief Creative Officers: Debbi Vandeven/Bas Korsten
Chief Creative Officers: Jaime Mandelbaum/Rafael Pitanguy
Executive Creative Director: Karolina Galácz
Creatives: Endre Minda/Kata Bánkövy/Zsolt Szabó/Mihály Ferencz/Attila Rózsavölgyi
Agency Producer: Fanni Zádor
Agency Brand Strategist: Orsolya Heuthaler

Description:
Unsealed Books is an audio first solution that makes audio storytelling the key to solving a business problem. When a controversial Hungarian law censored physical books, we turned to audio storytelling to free the books from the government imposed wrapping paper and to provide access to literature to everyone.

CULTURAL CONTEXT In July of 2023, Hungary’s government fined a retailer for its display of a book “portraying homosexuality” in a sign it is escalating enforcement of a law meant to curtail minors’ access to LGBTQ content just days before this weekend’s Pride march.

The law censors all portrayals of homosexuality. To get fined, it was enough to have a gay character.

Classic literature, such as ancient Greek poetry, the Iliad, Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, Marcel Proust, and even Harry Potter fall under the definition of the law.

As the law requires, bookstores began wrapping these books into plastic foil to "keep it away from people under 18", and these books were also forbidden to be sold in the vicinity of schools.

The ruling caused panic in the book retailer industry, as it had direct negative impact on sales. At the same time, it was an overt attack on the LGBTQ community.

The first one to get a fine of 36,000 USD for not wrapping the books in foil was the 2nd largest bookstore chain in the country, Líra. The fine they received caused international outrage. They wanted a solution to keep the censored books available to everyone.

IMPACT Unsealed Books has an unprecedented result: the law that censored these books was overturned and after the campaign, Líra didn't have to pay the fine.

On social media, they reached a combined 3.9 million people, that's 40% of the total population of the country. All major independent press reported of Unsealed Books, reaching another 3 million readers in total.

Líra's website traffic was also up 400% compared to the same quarter last year.

IDEA Because the law only talks about books of any kind, we recorded the text of these books in audio and distributed them as podcasts. This way, we found a way for our audience to still experience these stories.

EXECUTION To further support the LGBTQ+ community, the censored books were read aloud by the most famous LGBTQ+ actors, influencers and musicians in the country. They lent their voice to the books, then shared them on their social media, reaching their massive followings, respectively.

We made the Unsealed Books available on Spotify and on Líra's webshop, where people were also offered the option to donate to Líra to help them pay the fine.