As civil unrest continues in the Middle East, there is a staggering amount of information that is not getting reported thanks to the totalitarian regimes that have been persecuting journalists in the region. To combat this, Reporters Without Borders, a non-profit organization that defends the freedom of information, is making use of QR codes in a new marketing campaign to raise awareness of civil unrest in the Middle East.
The organization has partnered with Publicis, a leading development firm of innovative marketing concepts. Together, the pair has distributed a series of print advertisements that feature portraits of rulers such as Gaddafi, who have imprisoned journalists and made every attempt to control the news coverage of the crisis in their countries. The portraits have an outline around the mouth in the shape of a smart phone.
A QR code is printed in the corner of the ads. When scanned, the code resolves to a video of a mouth and directs users to place their phones over the mouth of the dictator. The mouth belongs to a journalist who reports briefly on the events unfolding in the region. The ads have been printed in magazines and newspapers distributed in areas that are most affected by the unrest.
As dictators continue to force censorship of any news that may be unfavorable to their regime, journalists have found a new way to continue reporting their findings.
