Local Elections in Albania in 2003
Title of campaign: “Gishto (the Fingeroo) Advices”
TV & Radio Commercial / Branding & Design / Strategic Planning
In this Campaign (non partisan voter education project of IFES in cooperation with Central Election Commission) we were contracted from IFES Albania to provided professional services for the Conceptualization, Planning, and Creativity, Production, Public dissemination and Monitoring.
The issue was that during those years, which correspond to the post-communist transition in Albania, there wasn’t awareness regarding the elections. In this context it was vital the start of educating people on the importance of voting and the way how to vote. For sure, educating people in traditional informing ways bore the risk of being mundane or even be ignored by the people. For this particular reason, we were asked by the IFES and KQZ to create not only an informing campaign but also a very attractive and creative one in order to capture the attention of people.
The creative theme of Campaign was “The fingeroo”. The fingeroo (in Albanian is called Gishto) was a character selected from the early authentic Albanian tradition.
This creative theme executed in TV and Radio Commercials, Outdoors, Promotional Products and PR materials became the logo and the center of attention of the whole campaign. The Campaign was titled “Gishto (the Fingeroo) Advices”.
The campaign was divided in three phases
Phase I Civil Registry Registration
Phase II Voter Registry Check
Phase III How and where to vote
We are proud to say that this was one of our most successful campaigns we ever did!
After we had decided that the whole campaign would be based on the narrative and advisory version of a puppet show, the problem was to find out who the representative character would be. In our efforts to find this character for the campaign, we came up with two ideas: one in the form of a pencil and the other of a mythical character based on old Albanian tales and stories called “the finger”. In fact, there was no figure or image of this character, although it was widely known from the stories read. After many discussions it was decided that the representative character would be Gishto (Fingero) and immediately the sketches and rehearsals for its realization began.
The everywhere-to-be-seen guy in all various types of life events. A minor being, personifying the wisdom of the anonymous character of the people, adept, very flexible with an admiring and expressive figure. His humor comes from the situations he himself provokes, as well as from his own remarkable expression. Physically he has been sketched as something between the finger and a charming, cheerful and often a sarcastic boy (front physical appearance). His upper part organically makes up a traditional cap known as “qylaf”.
