The protection of the Vjosa River through the proclamation of a National Park, has received the attention and support of the public for several years and has united thousands of activists from all around the world. Patagonia and EcoAlbania entrusted McCann Tirana for a national awareness campaign, which was supposed to create a culmination for the cause, reinforcing the demand directed at the government, to declare Vjosa a National Park.
As a solution, an online petition directed to the government was created to give a common voice to Vjosa supporters. The campaign aimed to engage the audience by bringing Vjosa closer to them and presenting them with several reasons to protect it, such as its: natural resources, biodiversity, endangered species and the river’s potential for ecotourism development.
The messages were communicated on social media platforms, online news media, Spotify and Outdoor, and were also shared by dozens of well-known television artists and figures, reaching over 20,000 signatures within the first 2 weeks.Next, there was a flow of ideas to play further with the messages and context, exploring the creative uses of new media spaces. In collaboration with Sophie Caffe, the motivational message letters that usually accompany the morning coffee, turned into a space dedicated to the cause. McCann formulated various messages, using proverbs, idioms, and popular song lyrics, tailored to invite people to sign the petition.These messages were also amplified on social platforms and digital advertising, in the second phase of the campaign.Lastly, a special guerrilla activism managed to amplify the message creatively for anyone who had not yet signed the petition. Using a simple QR code, which was linked to the online petition link, a message was created that played with the Albanian meaning of the acronym “QR”. The message was delivered through a sticker which was voluntarily put on the walls, mirrors, doors of bars or cafes of the capital. This application received attention and was distributed on social media with positive tones, creating another momentum for the cause and the signing of the petition.At the end of the campaign, were gathered over 50,000 signatures, making Vjosa’s petition the most signed online petition in Albania. Meanwhile, shortly after the end of the campaign, the Council of Ministers approved the decision to declare Vjosa as a protected area at the level of “Natural Park”, a step forward for the creation of the Vjosa National Park.
