Smartenitsa

Bulgarians deeply value history and traditions and always striving to preserve them. Saatchi&Saatchi and MSL Sofia proactively proposed a thematic product campaign to A1, one of the biggest telco companies in Bulgaria. The goals were to highlight A1’s role in driving innovation and distinguish from the competitors by showing respect to Bulgarian traditions. Our idea was to connect A1 to one of the most beloved holidays – Baba Marta, when on March 1st Bulgarians wear white and red bracelets, known as Martenitsa, to welcome spring and symbolize health and prosperity.

This is how “Smartenitsa” came to live – the first-ever smartwatch strap designed as the Bulgarian martenitsa. A perfect symbiosis between tradition of wearing martenitsa and smart technologies.

But during the campaign, A1 found itself on the verge of a crisis. A Facebook post by a famous comedian, TV host and influencer Nikolaos Tsitiridis hinted at plagiarism in an already competitive and difficult industry. The PR team was faced with the challenge to make a well-considered, yet timely, decision to prevent the crisis and turn it into an opportunity for the brand.

We took a proactive approach, news jacked the situation and turned Nikolaos into ambassador. This not only prevented the crisis but also expanded the campaign, reaching new audiences through Nikolaos’ social media channels.