During the Soviet Union, the Kazakh language and culture were systematically covered up and suppressed. From the 30s to the 50s, prominent figures of science and culture, representatives of the national Kazakhstan's intelligentsia were subjected to mass repression. Some were executed, the rest were sentenced to various terms, some of them died in concentration camps. In the 1930s, about 2 million people died in the republic. Fleeing hunger and repression, over 1 million people migrated outside Kazakhstan. This period in history was so dark that until now we have not reconnected with a huge part of culture, the heart of which has always been the works of the great thinker Abai.
Problem
Challenge - Revive knowledge of language and culture among young people. Show the value of 19th century philosophy to an audience attracted by future trends and instant success here and now. Reach a wide young audience and communicate the value of the book to them. Attract pre-orders to ensure a larger print run of the book for the future.
Solution
To attract attention and inspire people to read the book, we have shown that behind the success of modern Kazakhs, there is a large share of national culture and philosophy. This is how The Re-Cover culture project appeared. An AI was trained on Abai's book, which compared the thoughts from interviews of successful people in Kazakhstan with Abai's ideas and showed the level of their similarity. On this basis, personal book covers were created and, after packaging, the books were handed over to the recipients. Celebrities shared their results, at the same time showing everyone that a large layer of Kazakh culture also lies behind their personal success.
Result
Thanks to Abai's unique connection with celebrities, we managed to gain free exposure from top 10 Forbes Kazakhstan businessmen and top bloggers reaching up to 3 million followers. The total free reach amounted to over 10 million Kazakhstanis. The youth appreciated the value of the books, and pre-orders for purchases started pouring in for the author and bloggers. Pre-orders from the youth accounted for 60% of the total number.
