Youngsters cannot relate to traditional advertising, so how to be relevant to them?

To warn against underage drinking issues, we decided to hack the most popular TV show among teenagers in Croatia: Supertalent on Nova TV.

Over 1.6 MIL Croats watched the live performance. The „hack“ went viral and led to the national media coverage amounting to HRK 1.8 MIL media impressions.

Not only did the campaign reach the target group but it also set the real change in motion. The Croatian Parliament was about to have a debate on the new legislation, which was postponed due to COVID-19.

In Croatia the availability of alcoholic beverages to minors is greater than in other countries included in the relevant international survey. Alcohol is easily available to 87% of 15-year-olds in Croatia, which is 10% higher than the average in other countries. The widespread social acceptance of drinking and a lack of social consensus on harmful effects of alcohol in minors pose additional challenges. Compared to 45 countries globally, Croatia is the third in Europe in terms of youth intoxication between ages 11 and 13.

The previous CIPH* campaigns included media statements, or messages communicated on dissemination posters featured in public spaces.

The goal was to attract as much free media coverage as possible to convey the message of dangers of alcohol consumption in a way appealing to teenagers and to achieve a breakthrough.

*CIPH – Croatian Institute of Public Health

The problem:

More than 33% of Croatian 15-year-old boys drink alcohol every week, which is more than in any other European country. Alcohol is the most widespread substance of abuse among Croatia's youth, and underage drinking poses enormous health and safety risks.

The insight:

Youngsters cannot relate to traditional advertising, so how to be relevant to them?

The idea: What if we hack the most popular teenage TV show to warn against underage drinking issues?

Talk to teenagers about the dark sides of alcohol consumption through music and create content that will appeal to them and achieve a breakthrough. We believed that traditional advertising channels were inadequate for this target group and decided to hack the most popular TV show among teenagers in Croatia: Supertalent on Nova TV (the Croatian franchise of the popular British talent show: Britain’s Got Talent).

We worked in collaboration with a talented school band called Bonar. They managed to reach the semifinals and were supposed to sing the song Opijum by a popular Croatian pop band. Much to the surprise of the jury and the audience they changed the lyrics indicating the dreadful effects of teenage alcohol consumption.

By "hacking" live performance of Supertalent, the most watched television show in Croatia among the target group, with HRK 0.00 media budget invested in TV advertising, our message was heard and seen by over 1,600,000 viewers in just one evening. The "action" was interesting enough to the media to "pick it up" and to report the news by themselves, resulting in over 39 free media announcements, amassing a total value of over HRK* 1,870,034.00.

The campaign rekindled another debate on the issue of alcohol pricing policy (exise tax on alcoholic beverages), for which purpose the CIPH prepared a study on alcohol as a public health issue. Given the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in the meantime, the debate was postponed until further notice.

*ca. EUR 237.600