Gulf News: The Headline News Cup Sleeve

01 / Challenge

How do you reach readers who aren't looking for news?

Gulf News wanted to grow its readership — not just reach people already seeking out news, but find them in the everyday moments they weren't expecting it. The brief was simple: get in front of more people, and turn them into subscribers.

02 / Idea

The news finds you.

Instead of asking people to come to the news, we brought the news to them. We redesigned the Tim Hortons coffee cup sleeve into a live advertising medium — printing the breaking headline of the hour directly from Gulf News' Twitter feed onto every sleeve, in every store, every single day. A special news printer behind the counter made it possible. The barista becomes the newsstand.

03 / Execution

Every cup. Every hour. Every day.

A custom news printer was installed across 15 Tim Hortons outlets in the UAE. Every hour, it pulled the latest breaking headline from Gulf News' Twitter account and printed it onto the custom-designed sleeve. Each sleeve also carried a QR code and short URL, giving readers instant access to the full story at GulfNews.com — turning a coffee cup into a gateway to the full edition.

04 / Results

1.68 million cups. One big idea.

With zero media budget, the campaign reached an audience that no traditional ad could — one cup at a time. With zero media budget, the campaign reached an audience that no traditional ad could — one cup at a time.

05/ Awards

Recognised on the world's biggest creative stages.

Silver - Cannes Lions 2012 Grand Prix - Dubai Lynx 2012 — Direct 3× Gold - Dubai Lynx 2012 — Promo Bronze - Dubai Lynx 2012 — Outdoor Gold + Silver - Effie Awards 2012 Merit - One Show 2013

Results

Numbers that speak volumes.