Fact: Brazilians are not much of bookworms. According to research conducted by Ibope, Brazilians only read about two books a year. Except for one kind of people: inmates. Another study, by the same entity, states that prisoners read nine times more than the national average.
So, the Centre for Penitentiary Progression in Hortolândia decided to turn this pastime into something good for the prisoners. Reading allows inmates to get out of jail sooner than expected. Thanks to literacy, they are able remit their sentence by four days. But how can one make non-prisoners develop a similar passion for reading?
Simple: you either trick them with book reviews written by the inmates, or you seduce them with free stuff. Just like Brazil’s biggest pocket book publisher L&PM Editores did a few years ago. In this week’s #ThrowBrandThursday we learn how the brand celebrated the World Book Day.
To honor this special holiday, the publisher decided to lure people into the beautiful world of literacy with Ticket Books, a limited-edition pocket book collection that doubles as free rides on the subway, thus inspiring commuters to read more while on their daily commute.
L&PM opened a booth at Sao Paulo’s Faria Lima station and gave away 10,000 books for free. The publications featured ten classic novels, such as The Great Gatsby, The Art of War, Hamlet, Hundred Love Sonnets, and Garfield. Of these books, 300 were hiding a cool surprise: they could be used as tickets for the subway.
Each book included an RFID card inside, a ticket tag, that allowed readers to commute for free. All they had to do was to swipe the book over the scanner at the ticket gate. Voilà: each commuter had 10 free trips on the subway. Plus, a good time spent reading!
To bring the concept to life, L&PM Editores worked with Agência Africa. On their cover, the books feature a design that mimics classic subway maps coming from different parts of the world. All illustrations were developed by artists Ana Novis and Ricardo Matos.
Due to the fact that the event was a huge success, the organizers decided to introduce it to other parts of the country. But the campaign’s positive results got reflected not only in the supporting initiatives. The action to stimulate reading was highly-applauded by various creative festivals around the world, such as D&AD Awards and Cannes Lions. The idea scooped a Wood Pencil at the former, and three trophies at Cannes.
The campaign was also backed up by a website that invited readers to recharge their books with new trips on the subway. Of the total books given away, more than 2,300 were recharged using the online platform. Thanks to their unique design and to the idea that lies at their foundation, the books became extremely valuable amongst library ‘mice’, being traded by people on the Brazilian equivalent of eBay.
Chances that you’ll get your hands on one of these books are really low. But don’t you worry, because we’ve brought the unique designs below, so you can admire them, or even print them and use them as posters to adorn the walls of your room!
