LES ARNAQUÉS ANONYMES
Digital Brand Content campaign to combat online scams.
This campaign aimed to reduce fraud and phishing among PayPal customers and to change the perception of the PayPal brand by positioning it as an expert in online security.
The campaign began with an initial phase featuring viral and humorous videos that depicted scammers on the web facing their victims in “real life” (IRL). The second phase included the web series The Scammed Anonymous, consisting of 3 main videos that humorously highlighted a support group dedicated to victims of online scams.
The first phase of the campaign consisted of 3 humorous and viral videos depicting the scammers facing their victims “In Reel Life” in a bistro. The idea was to demonstrate the absurdity of the most common scams received by email (spam) by personifying them. We thus discovered the fake banking advisor trying to get your online access codes, the lottery organizer making you win over 2 million dollars, and the convertible car salesman asking for a 50% deposit by bank transfer. The Scammers videos were viewed by over 8 million internet users.
FOR THE SECOND PHASE of this campaign, to further consumer protection and education, we depicted the scammed individuals in the form of a web series.
Delphine, the serial shopper, François, the trouble collector, and Colette and Henri, the retirees, all share their scam experiences during “anonymous meetings.”
These humorous videos aimed to raise awareness of this risk and inform consumers about the launch of the mini-site antiarnaques.fr, where all the best security practices for online transactions could be found.
The Scammed Anonymous videos were viewed by 14 million internet users, with 9 million watching them to the end.
The media plan was primarily focused on Facebook, YouTube, and mobile devices, with a partnership with leboncoin.fr and the Leboncoin mobile app. The videos enjoyed significant engagement on Facebook, and the campaign generated a positive sentiment around the PayPal brand, which greatly improved consumer perception regarding security and reduced the number of daily calls to its call centers about fraud and phishing by 15%.
The campaign was awarded the Grand Prix du Brand Content 2018 as well as the Grand Prix Stratégies du Brand Content 2018 in the Banks and Insurance category.
