2012 Bronze Best creative solution or innovation

Client De-Loot London

How did the campaign make a difference? De-Loot gave Londoners a simple, community-driven way they could help rebuild their neighbourhoods after the 2011 riots. It helped boost shop owners' businesses and morale, partly by generating over £200,000 in free publicity for London's looted shops.

What details of the strategy make this a winning entry? The strategy was driven by a key insight about Londoners' reactions to the riots. As the looting grew in scale and severity, many Londoners felt outraged but unsure of what they could do to help restore order. To direct that energy into something positive, it had to be something everyone could participate in, could create a sense of community on and offline, and that grew better and richer as it gained momentum. Many of the looted shops were also struggling financially, so focus was on supporting them over time until they were back on their feet, instead of giving one-off donations. The final strategic requisite was that it was built for, and by, local people, connecting shop owners to their neighbourhoods. When the looting was a distant memory, the community was closer-knit and stronger than before.

How did creativity bring the strategy to life? The creative solution was both an accessible rallying cry and a grassroots movement. A website with a crowd-sourced map at its centre used local knowledge to pinpoint of London's looted independent stores. The site encouraged everyone living near them to shop there. Londoners could add details about their locals, enriching the site with personal stories and bringing the map to life. One Londoner was even inspired to create a mobile version for finding your nearest shop on the go. Social media also played a key role. The De-LootFacebook page gave the latest info, uploaded shop listings, and showed Londoners’ support. Then Twitter spread the word at lightning speed. Local and national media helped with reach and momentum. Canvas shopping totes were personalised to each London neighbourhood. All proceeds went to The Retail Trust, a charity supporting riot-hit businesses.

Results De-Loot was launched almost as soon as the rioting ended. Hours after the site went live #delootlondon had become a trending topic. By the next morning over 20,000 people had visited the website, and just 24 hours later local, national and international media picked up the story. In just a few days, over 100 shops were added to the map. Several shop owners got in touch as their businesses recovered to thank the De-Loot team.

Team Chris King, Chris Long, Simon Hook, Richard Dunn, Mark Hobbs, Paul Slugocki