17 Korrika
Client: AEK
Agency: di-da
Role: Creative Direction
Date: 2011
Strategic branding, naming and creative direction for the 17th Korrika, a national campaign that supports the Basque language.
The Korrika is a national event that promotes the use of the Basque language (euskara). A route is mapped out over the entire Basque Country going from town to town, and the route is divided into 1km sections. Groups, businesses, friends, individuals, organisations each buy a kilometre and they are given a specially designed running vest. They run their respective KM, taking a baton and passing it on to the next runners. Day and night, over 10 days, the wooden baton is passed from person to person all across the Basque Country over 10 days.
The slogan for this campaign, “EUSKALAKARI”, is a completely new word that I invented together with my colleagues at di-da, to define someone that “loves, learns and uses” Basque.
EUS – is a prefix to all things Basque (EUSkara, EUSkaldun, EUSkaltel, EUSko Jaurlaritza…).
KALAKA – a word used in the Northern Basque Country to describe a chatterbox(!)
ARI – the suffix used to denote someone that practices something (suflARI = surfer, dantzARI = dancer etc).
