When they came up with the expression that something wasn't worth the paper it was printed on, they could have been anticipating the rise of Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, one of the world's most despised despots for his cruelty, his corruption and his mismanagement of that nation's economy. The Zimbabwe dollar is about worthless.
For the folks at TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris in South Africa, that made it an ideal ad medium for its client, quite literally.
The client: The Zimbabwean, a newspaper published in South Africa by exiled Zimbabwean journalists that reports on the country and Mugabe’s regime.
The paper wanted a campaign to build circulation within South Africa to finance its distribution in Zimbabwe. In addition to silencing journalists who displease him, the president had imposed a tariff on The Zimbabwean that put it out of reach for impoverished Zimbabweans.
The newspaper didn't have much money to spend on a campaign, as they explained to the agency staff, showing them their largely worthless currency.
“When our Zimbabwean colleagues showed us the actual banknotes they were using for everyday transactions back home, we were horrified to see that they were in denominations of millions, billions and trillions,” says Nadja Lossgott, art director at TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris.
That's when the idea popped up: Let's use the currency to deliver the message.
The agency created a series of ads, including billboards and posters, that were actually printed on Zimbabwe’s worthless currency. They went up around Johannesburg.
Taglines include, “It’s cheaper to print this on money than paper” and “Thanks to Mugabe this money is wallpaper.”
“The banknotes were the message,” says Lossgott. “By turning them into flyers, direct-mailers, posters and billboards, we made them the medium too.”
The campaign launched in March, and almost immediately met its goal of raising awareness. Says Lossgott: “By the time the first 3-by-12 billboard of banknotes was erected, the campaign had hit the national evening news."
