JWT Helps Venezuelans Safely Barter Goods as the Nation's Economy Craters

A look at the #SocialMarket campaign

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As Venezuela grapples with severe political, economic and humanitarian crises, one local government is using social media in its efforts to keep citizens safe while they barter for much-needed staple goods.

J. Walter Thompson helped the Baruta municipality, part of the capital city Caracas and home to more than 300,000 people, to launch #MercadoSocial (#SocialMarket) in an effort to arrange person-to-person exchanges of food and other basic necessities, under the supervision of the borough.

A promotional campaign including online ads and bus posters that encouraged citizens to tweet messages like “I have oil, I need sugar” with the hashtag, and then meet up to trade them at an official exchange points, to avoid fraud and security concerns.

Venezuela’s black market has flourished, and its crime rate has spiked, as the economy has tanked.

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