Social media is a powerful tool for political leaders. Not all use it ethically. The government of Costa Rica is being supported by an army of trolls from Vietnam. Following the playbook of politicians like Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro, Costa Rican president, Rodrigo Chaves, uses his trolls to attack journalists and media outlets on social media. This undermines press freedom and promotes misinformation. The president insults the press and even promotes actions that could harm their funding sources.
This has caused Costa Rica to drop 15 places in the 2023 Press Freedom Ranking by Reporters Without Borders, attracting the attention of international media such as The Washington Post, CNN, NBC News, and Deutsche Welle. Even the United Nations has warned the country to ensure that “expressions of hate are not normalised in public discourse.”
Orson & MadisonDDB Costa Rica and Costa Rican media outlet, La Hora Tica, retaliated with a bold idea to put an end to the trolling and fake accounts. For one day, all of La Hora Tica’s social media content about the president and his government was published in Vietnamese instead of Spanish.
The move caught the attention of Costa Rican citizens and sparked conversations on social media about trolls, fake news, and fake accounts. It also helped unmask the trolls and raise awareness about the issue of attacks on press freedom. When everyone was talking about it, a content strategy was published to reveal the action and share tips and tools for identifying trolls and fake accounts.
David Barrientos, director of La Hora Tica, stated, “This isn’t just a battle for media outlets; it’s for all of us to ensure the quality of the information we consume. We must remain vigilant and not let trolls take control of our conversations.”
The Trolling Trolls campaign was conducted in October 2023 and had tangible and immediate results in social metrics such as reach and interactions. By trolling the trolls, La Hora Tica exposed the network of pro-government trolls and achieved the most crucial outcome – reducing attacks from Vietnamese trolls to zero since the social media stunt was carried out.
Cristhian Fuentes, the project director at the advertising agency, noted, “This campaign is a tangible action to address a social media problem that affects us all. The attack on press freedom on social media is also an attack on the ecosystem of our communication business and where citizens form opinions about societal issues. The call to action includes brands and advertisers to educate audiences.”
Credits
Client: La Hora Tica
Agency: MadisonDDB + Orson
Founding Partner: Cristhian Fuentes, Pablo Chaves, Javier Mora, Pablo Silva
Account Executive: Zharella Mata
Creative Director: Allan Jiménez, Mario Martínez, Kimbo Brenes
Copywriter: Cristhian Fuentes
Art Director: Daysi Camacho, Carlos Redondo
Post-Production: Iván Solano
Production: Alejandra Acosta
Community Manager: Luis Querales
Data: Jean Paul Corrales & Rafael Herrador
