Insight
In March 2015, the Spanish Government approved the ‘gag law’, despite criticism from the UN and its rejection by over 80% of the population. The new law violates the right of freedom of expression, banning protests in front of congress, the holding of assemblies in public places and the participation in a protest without previous notice.
Strategy
Faced with this reality, Nosomos Delito (We Are Not Crime) partnered with DDB Spain and decided to protest in the only way the law allowed them to – with “the world’s first ever virtual political demonstration” (The Independent).
Execution
The movement rallied together thousands of Spaniards, but none of them were actually there and instead used holograms to protest against the new law.
The hologram worked through a website that allowed anyone, anywhere to take their image, convert themselves into an apparition and upload their own messages.
The result was a virtual recreation of 17,857 people seen marching in protest on April 10th, 2015 in front of the Spanish Parliament, in the only way the gag law allowed them to.
Check out the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jwmi6CguY0.
Results
The protest reached a global audience of over 800 million people.
400 million impressions in social media opened a worldwide debate on the right to freedom of expression.
330,000 people signed the online petition to repeal the law and the hologram protest went from the doors of the congress to the inside.
It was the first hologram protest in history – and is hoped to also be the last.