Social, environmental, political, you name it; there have been campaigns of any form and shape, all over the place these past few years.
Some popular, some less. Some effective, some not as much. Others, unfortunately and despite the best of intentions, got twisted and turned into jokes. Very popular ones. But jokes nonetheless as
Brofessional Review rightfully noted, such as the whole "
Shu we2fet 3layeh" campaign by
Bank Med (here, here and here) parodied so many times
(here is one of those times) or even "
Cheyef 7alak". These are only two of so many issues tackled in the media to raise awareness on various subjects including driving and road safety, women's rights, children's rights, racism and even tourism with the now notorious "
Don't Vote For Me, Vote For Jeita Grotto" tag line.
In any case, the purpose of this post is not to assess these awareness campaigns, but just to note that successful or not, these were led by organized activists, NGOs, private companies, or even the government.
But I have to say, I have not seen any campaign launched by unknown, independent students go viral as quickly as
Metel Ma Shelta (متل ما شلتا)!
Please, understand, it was not the work of a university department, a club or even a class project. It was this idea that three young people started, and which unravelled into a nation-wide phenomenon! Well, nation-wide on social media so far.
But
Metel Ma Shelta (متل ما شلتا) could take the whole country, if not the whole Arab world by storm. At least this is what Mohamed Olaymi, Nadine Razzouk and Lama Shehadeh hope for.
These three best friends are the brains behind
Metel Ma Shelta (متل ما شلتا). We had a little chat with Mohamed and Nadine as they let us in on everything, and a tad more.
It all starts in Beirut, where these students study and live.
Meet Mohamed Olaymi, a third year graphic design student at the
American University of Beirut. Born and raised in Riyadh, this Syrian national then moved to Lebanon to pursue his education at the
AUB. Originally from a "business oriented family" as he says, he considers himself to be the "odd artist in this equation", however clarifying his family is "very supportive" of what he does and remains his "biggest fans".
His best friend and classmate at
AUB is Nadine Razzouk. This middle child has "no history of artists or designers in the family" either, and just like Mohamed, somehow, she ended up studying graphic design at one of the most prominent universities in the region.
So how did they come up with this unusual campaign?
"As we were strolling along the streets of Hamra we have encountered people littering. This came as a shock to us, in a beautiful country such as Lebanon that is considered to be the citadel of modernism in the Middle East, to still encounter such mess" explains Mohamed. "We perceive that as a horrific crime and our objective is to spread awareness throughout Lebanon and to initiate a law that prohibits people from littering. We're hoping the government can take a serious look at this problem and design a solution for it" he adds.
"Our main objective is for people to think twice before littering again" continues Nadine; "on the long term, our campaign's goal is for a law to be implemented to fine people who litter".
Needless to say, these young activists are strong-minded and very determined to see their campaign succeed.
Their plan was simple: They "didn't want to print papers and stick them all over the streets because we knew people have become immune to this type of campaigning" explains Mohamed, "nor did we want to distribute flyers which will eventually be trashed. We wanted to bring something new to the table, something no one can turn his head away from. It hit us like a lightning bolt, MONEY!".
Both agree that interactive campaigns which engage their audience directly in an active form are more effective. "We wanted to raise awareness about littering but we wanted our campaign to be different in the sense that it tackles the lebanese citizen on a microlevel. The person is interacting with our campaign so we are hoping it triggers something in each one of us" notes Nadine.
Mohamed proceeds to clarify how
Metel Ma Shelta (متل ما شلتا) goes that extra mile: "Distributing phony money on the street was the perfect solution. It requires the target to bend down, pick it up, flip it, and read it. All this probably takes 30 seconds. Most awareness campaigns lose their audience after 5 seconds, we're being able to captivate them for approximately 30 seconds which is an achievement on its own!"
The concept is quite simple really; a fake 10,000 Lebanese Pounds bill with a note on the back: "Just like you picked up this money, you can pick up garbage on the street".
But fake money costs real money and it came as no surprise that Mohamed, Nadine and Lama were financing and executing this project themselves, with the help of their families.
Apparently, it was all worth it since faculty and peers at AUB, as well as relatives "were all ecstatic to hear we were doing something this genuine" reveals Mohamed.
"After we had printed our first 100 copies, we wanted to ask our peers and friends and of course our teachers about it so we tried it in our department at AUB and it caught everyone's attention. Everyone has been so supportive! We are truly thankful because if it weren't for their excitement we probably wouldn't have gotten this much attention" continues Nadine.
The campaign went viral in a matter of days, and the three friends are still "in a state of shock". They did not expect such a massive reaction from the public and of course, they are hoping to keep the momentum going until a law is drafted. "We hope that with the help of the media we can get our politicians to finally implement this law against littering" says Nadine.
Their enthusiasm is utterly contagious and they plan to tackle other issues close to their hearts once this one comes to term.
So what is next?
Beirut was the first city targeted simply because it is where they live and spend most of their time but these tenacious designers have already reached Tripoli, Bhamdoun and Kaslik, and they hope to cover the entire Lebanese territory soon. Mohamed even plans to cross the border and export this campaign to Syria as well.
Usually when a movement becomes that popular among students, it catches on quickly in other countries and when asked if they had plans to collaborate with students abroad and expand the campaign's outreach, both were open to the idea.
So can we expect money-rain to pour on all Arab streets soon? Who knows.
In the meantime, "it's raining cash over Beirut City" laughs Mohamed. "Most of the reactions were extremely positive and encouraging. A few critics have exclaimed that we are littering by distributing flyers on the floor.
We respond: We have created a campaign that is attractive enough to be surely picked off the floor. We're not worried about that at all! We never find our flyers on the floor, they're picked up seconds after we distribute them. Some decide to throw them in the trash. Many decide to keep them and distribute them in another street, and a few place them back on the ground for someone else to stumble upon them. We're currently putting a video together that sums up the different reactions we have encountered. So stay tuned for that".
"Some other critics said 'we're not obliged to remove the trash off the street, we should promote not throwing it in the first place'. Our reply is that not only do we mean to literally pick up the trash, but also symbolically. We ask people to obliterate the trash through spreading awareness".
Nadine goes on to explain that they "have studied the campaign and know that it is strong enough for it to not be ignored so the flyers are not staying on the floor".
So who are these young creators, really?
We took them on a one-on-one interview, just to pick their brains a little.
Mohamed
"We are three witty designers eagerly trying to change the world making it a better place. This is our responsibility as the future generation".
 |
| Mohamed Olaymi |
What drove you to study graphic design?
I always had a passion towards arts, I'm a painter myself, and I realized graphic design integrates so many forms of art that I intended to explore. I also wanted to master the art of visual expression.
Do you have any mentors (professors or others) and did they influence you in any way when you came up with this campaign?
Of course, almost every teacher has put us one step closer to this campaign. I would like to add that in AUB a course is given, "design in the community", as part of the graphic design program in order to teach students how to create awareness campaigns. So every little angle of our campaign is actually planned thoroughly and not coincidentally.
Who is your favorite designer or visual artist?
Andy Warhol.
Where do you get inspired for your projects?
We were actually inspired by the streets of Hamra.
If you hadn't been a designer, what profession would you have chosen?
Painter.
If you were stranded on a desert island with only one item, what would it be?
My phone.
What design softwares you cannot possibly survive without?
Adobe Photoshop.
Are you a MAC or a PC?
MAC, it understands my language.
Outside of design and visual arts, what are your hobbies?
Singing along to every song played on the radio.
So you do realize you guys are becoming more and more famous now. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
In 10 years I'm hoping to be an established designer that changes the world. And of course, Hollywood.
(laughs)
In one word, if you were a...
Color
Yellow.
Octagon.
Perfect - Alanis Morissette.
The Illusionist.
The Little Prince.
Famous Character (real or fictional)
Since you are graphic designers, I can't help but ask, if you were a logo, you would be
Nadine
"We are full of life, happy and want to make a difference. And most of all we are best friends".
 |
| Nadine Razzouk |
What drove you to study graphic design?
I was actually a psychology student but i didn't find myself there. i wanted something where i could interact with people and not just on a personal level.
Do you have any mentors (professors or others) and did they influence you in any way when you came up with this campaign?
Our teachers were so supportive, and if it weren't for their constructive feedback throughout this campaign and our courses we wouldn't have made this much of an impact.
Who is your favorite designer or visual artist?
Man Ray.
Where do you get inspired for your projects?
I usually go to bookstores on Saturdays and just lurk there and flip through books.
If you hadn't been a designer, what profession would you have chosen?
I would probably be a psychologist.
If you were stranded on a desert island with only one item, what would it be?
My laptop.
What design softwares you cannot possibly survive without?
Adobe Illustrator.
Are you a MAC or a PC?
MAC, it's so much practical.
Outside of design and visual arts, what are your hobbies?
Traveling and hula hooping.
So you do realize you guys are becoming more and more famous now. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I see myself as the next Oprah Winfrey of Graphic design!
In one word, if you were a...
Color
Green.
Rhombus.
Hakuna Matata.
Little Miss Sunshine.
Memoirs of a Geisha.
Famous Character (real or fictional)
Since you are graphic designers, I can't help but ask, if you were a logo, you would be
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