Sometimes, the best way to say “yes” is to start with “no”. That was the disruptive strategy behind the “Don’t Download the App” campaign Noah Workshop created for 7-Eleven’s newly launched mobile app.

The Idea: A Bold Reversal

The campaign presented the public with a bold message: “Don’t Download the App”. Recognizing that young audiences tend to resist conventional messaging, as they don’t want to be told what to do, we flipped the script and leveraged reverse psychology to spark curiosity and engagement.

The Execution: Unconventional Touchpoints

The messages were put on display through a series of eye-catching graffiti-style artworks. We teamed up with graffiti artists, including Plumber King, Bunny, Spy, and Yu Wan, to unleash these striking messages in unexpected places. From iconic walls to price tags and coffee cups in selected 7-Eleven stores, the artworks blended playfully into the environment. This approach transformed ordinary moments into opportunities for discovery, going beyond pure promotion to create genuine experiences.

The Disruptive Copy

The witty copy played with Cantonese slang, cleverly encouraging customers to reconsider what they were missing by not using the app.

On Iconic Wall (Quarry Bay 7-Eleven Store):

渠王不通APP屎
渠王［免通］ 7仔APP屎
通渠 太多方便 不宜下載

On Price Tags:

慣晒手勢 價錢唔睇！唔好download APP!
優惠？唔洗啦! 唔download 7-11 APP

(Enjoy squinting at every price tag? Cool, no need for the 7-Eleven app.)

On Coffee Cups:

佛系買啡 佛係要排
咖啡拎得快 返工有排捱

(Living that Buddha-level slow life, savouring every minute in line? The 7-Eleven app might mess up your zen—better not download it)

On Stamp Redemption:

鍾意印花慢慢貼 唔download APP
想換印花多過公仔？唔好download APP
太多喇! 免費都唔要！千奇唔好download APP

(Got a thing for peeling and sticking paper stamps? Stick with that—don’t download the app.)

The Impressive Result

This unconventional offline campaign ignited curiosity and conversations online, creating significant buzz around the app’s perks. Soon after its launch, the 7-Eleven app rocketed up the charts, hitting #1 in shopping apps and #3 in free apps on the App Store, as well as #2 in shopping apps and #5 in free apps on Google Play.