Bel Group's popular cheese spread Picon wanted to revitalise its brand promise of 'spreading happiness' across Lebanon. Noting that Lebanese schools were falling behind in civic education and needed support, Bel Group, via Leo Burnett in Beirut, sought to improve civic education and spread happiness to the people of Lebanon.

Bel Group identified a need in Lebanese schooling and addressed it with an effective and engaging initiative. Picon aimed to place itself at the forefront of conversations about good works in society. And kids who are proud to affix another badge to their Picon sash would be more inclined to eat a sandwich spread with Picon at lunchtime.

Working with NGO arcenciel.aec, Picon developed 'Happiness Heroes', a programme that taught civic education to school children and allowed them to apply those lessons outside of the classroom through civic works projects. It focused on four areas of civic activism: environmental protection, solidarity, health education, and school restoration. Each area of civic activism was also represented by a Lebanese hero, who represented the programme as an ambassador and spoke about the effort to the media.

The campaign reached 6,700 students. Together, those students collected two and a half tons of bottle caps, recycled two tons of paper, and planted 1,250 trees. The students also helped 158 families in need, entertained 2,000 seniors, renovated 15 public schools, and helped 550 people with special needs participate in sports events. Picon estimates that the company racked up $1.8 million in earned media and reached 2.5 million people. In 2012, Lebanon's Ministry of Education announced that the Happiness Heroes programme would be integrated nationwide.

When a brand puts together a programme that becomes part of the national curriculum, they've done something right. Here, Picon has perfectly positioned its brand as Purposeful - By identifying a need in Lebanese schooling and addressing it with an effective and engaging initiative, Picon has placed itself at the forefront of conversations about good works in society. And kids who are proud to affix another badge to their Picon sash may be more inclined to eat a sandwich spread with Picon at lunchtime.