On any given day in Beirut, you’ll find them: small, hand-cut flyers with names, faces and numbers of those looking for jobs – taped to stairwells and street poles. A phone number. A job title. Most people pass by. Rain blurs the ink. Tape loosens. Another day goes by, unseen.
To empower independent workers desperately seeking jobs in a troubled economy, AGA, Pikasso and Equation Media transformed these often-overlooked street flyers into impactful, massive, eye-catching billboards through the ‘Unseen Ads’ initiative.
Through bold design, clear messaging, and strategic placement in prime neighbourhood locations — right where the independent workers’ original notices appeared — the agencies helped ensure that these job seekers’ services gained the awareness and visibility they deserve.
The campaign’s pilot phase was rolled out in Greater Beirut, with phased expansion planned. The purpose of the campaign was simple: elevate the visibility of independent workers at a time when visibility can mean sustaining livelihood.
“The Unseen Ads doesn’t change people’s stories—it amplifies them,” said Dany Azzi, Executive Creative Director, AGA. “When design gives dignity and media gives a voice, everyday work gets the stage it deserves.”
Solving the ‘unseen’ problem, improving street flyers, having a social impact
Since 2019, Lebanon has endured one of the world’s sharpest economic collapses, with unemployment near 45 per cent and its currency losing more than 98 per cent of its value.
In an attempt to reach new customers, independent workers turned to paper flyers, which are a lifeline; but are far too easy to miss.
The problem wasn’t the message independent workers were sharing. It was the medium. A hand-cut flyer taped to a stairwell gets rained on, torn down, or buried in visual noise.
‘The Unseen Ads’ initiative set out to meet that tension and solve that problem, not with speeches, but with scale and amplification.
AGA and Pikasso launched a campaign took real flyers from Beirut’s streets, kept the workers’ original flyer content, redesigned them for visibility, and placed them on neighbourhood billboards so the call for work could finally meet the people it was meant for.
Outdoor advertising became the primary touchpoint, given the nature of the original announcements we redesigned. Social influencers amplified the effort by sharing the transformed messages they encountered, creating organic buzz.
Additionally, several media outlets expressed interest in supporting the initiative by offering their platforms to further promote and advertise the services of independent workers.
The first phase of the campaign ran for two weeks, with additional waves planned to roll out in the coming months.
The creative system was built for clarity at street speed. The media logic is hyperlocal. The effect is immediate; numbers that once hid on peeling paper now hold the eye at intersection height.
The success of this initiative will be measured by its ability to help independent workers expand their services and generate more leads.
Equally important, a key success metric will be the number of media outlets and institutions — such as municipalities — that join the effort by offering their platforms or dedicated spaces for independent workers to properly advertise their services.
CREDITS:
Ad campaign: ‘The Unseen Ads’
Agencies: AGA, Pikasso, Equation Media
