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- With its fundraising campaign, TERRITORY wants to generate awareness for the situation in Beirut in multimedia channels in Germany, Europe, and worldwide.
- In cooperation with the stern e.V. foundation, the campaign generates donations on behalf of Lebanese NGO Beit el Baraka
- The project's cornerstone is the book Stones of Beirut, which talks about the fates of those affected and about Beirut's unique urban landscape and culture.
- The book is printed on stone paper, made from the rubble of Beirut houses destroyed in August 2020.
- The edition is limited to 1,500 copies. The book can be pre-ordered starting August 4, 2021, and will be published in November 2021.
HAMBURG, Germany, Aug. 4, 2021 -- On August 4, 2020, a massive explosion shook the city centre of Beirut. Around 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate blew up in the port of the Lebanese capital. A total of 190 people died, and more than 6,500 were injured. Around 800 buildings suffered severe damage, with property damage in excess of 4 billion euros. Despite the fact that the accident was documented in real time through social networks, global attention quickly waned. Why did media attention decline so quickly? Because the pandemic and the US presidential election dominated headlines in 2020, a year unlike others.
As an agency for brand content and in cooperation with the publishing house Gruner + Jahr, TERRITORY wants to make a strong statement to keep the memory alive. The Stones of Beirut cross-media campaign was created to raise awareness and draw the attention of the media, opinion leaders, and fellow citizens to the devastating consequences of the August 4, 2020 disaster.
At the heart of the project is the 250-page book of the same name. It recounts moving stories of local people and buildings connected to the explosion site in the port of the metropolis. It was written by renowned journalists Thore Schröder (foreign reporter, text), Vanessa Schlesier and Theresa Breuer (foreign reporters, moving image), and Meiko Herrmann (photographer). Each of the stories reflects a different facet of the fascinating city, which has been grappling with political and economic crises. The current emergency situation in Beirut makes the Stones of Beirut project particularly relevant. All stories are also available via the content hub at www.stones-of-beirut.de and social media channel @stonesofbeirut.
"TERRITORY leverages its network to help set the agenda and create the much-needed aid and support for Beirut by doing what we do best: creating relevant content and raising awareness, using multiple channels and communication that reaches people where they are," says Sandra Harzer-Kux, management spokesperson for TERRITORY.
What sets this book apart is that it is printed on stone paper. Instead of cellulose, limestone was used to make this particular paper. Stonepaper, the manufacturing company, usually uses lime from quarries for its paper. However, in this collaboration with TERRITORY, it drew on material obtained from destroyed houses in Beirut. About half a ton of rubble was shipped from Lebanon to the German print shop's yard. In this way, every page of Stones of Beirut contains a piece of the city.
"The book and multimedia content campaign serve multiple purposes: to literally dig out Beirut's cultural assets from the rubble, generate awareness, and get some much-needed aid to the people of Beirut," says Marlies Bayha, Executive Director at TERRITORY and the project's main lead.
"At TERRITORY, we usually communicate for brands. In the case of Stones of Beirut, it's a little different: We speak and broadcast in the service of humanity," adds Adrian Pickshaus, Executive Creative Director at TERRITORY and editor-in-chief of the project. "By recounting true experiences from the wounded city using the tools of quality journalism, we raise awareness and funds for local people."
Stones of Beirut will be available in November 2021 and can already be pre-ordered starting August 4, 2021, both in German and English. Due to its special manufacturing method, it will be published in a limited run of 1,500 copies. Proceeds from the sale of the book, as well as all other donations, will go to the aid organization and NGO Beit el Baraka in Beirut.
The book only marks the beginning of a larger cross-media campaign. With the aim of reaching as many people as possible and generating donations, the content is also available via the content hub www.stones-of-beirut.de, social media channel @stonesofbeirut, video content, OOH ads, influencer marketing and PR. The campaign has been developed holistically using the full range of skills across all of TERRITORY's teams.
High-resolution image and video material are available for download here.
Further information about the project can be found at https://www.stones-of-beirut.com
Partners:
· stern e.V. Foundation (Stiftung stern e.V.)
· Beit el Baraka
· Stonepaper
About TERRITORY
We are a branded content agency that works with passion and conviction to define content territories for companies and their brands, to continuously energize them with content, actions, and services in order to foster relevance and attention. Wherever content has a decisive influence on the company's success, we want to be the best partner for our customers: as a content creation provider, influencer, social and digital marketing specialist, media agency, marketer, retail expert, employer branding consultant and platform operator.
About Stiftung stern e.V.
Through the stern e.V. foundation, the donations are forwarded to selected aid organizations in the field, which provide direct help to those affected. Following the devastating explosion in Beirut, STERN raised 50,000 euros from readers of STERN magazine last year, which was used to rebuild a hospital in the region.
4 August 2021
