2011 Winners & Shortlists

UAE FOOD EXPLORER

BrandSTANDARD CHARTERED BANK
Product/ServiceCREDIT CARDS
EntrantTBWA\RAAD Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
CategoryDirect Response Digital Media
Entrant Company:TBWA\RAAD Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
DM/Advertising Agency:TBWA\RAAD Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

The Brief

In the UAE, eating out is almost a national pastime. But Standard Chartered cards were low on dining spends, despite a 15% Cashback at all restaurants. The brand just wasn’t top of mind when the bill arrived. Our challenge was to entice existing cardholders to increase their dining spends and attract acquisitions. Other banks were screaming tactical offers through print ads - a one-way flow of information. We knew our customers were active in the digital world, but no bank had engaged this audience in an interesting way. Our recipe for success: start a dining conversation to show value in our cards.

Creative Execution

UAE Food Explorer - a community by the foodies, for the foodies. It challenges people to discover new flavors in the dining landscape. To kickstart the grassroots movement, we sent 2 bloggers to 90 restaurants in 30 days. Reviews were posted to the site, Facebook and Twitter, with bills highlighting the 15% Cashback. It was a culinary adventure that inspired the community to write their own rewards. Foodie conversation lit up across social media and brought people from this tremendously diverse population closer. Online polls with delicious prizes boosted participation. Contextual ads drove traffic. Videos defined exploring. And after all the online banter, people got to know each other in person through local ‘Eat-Ups’.

Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective.

Credit card campaigns normally take an impersonal tactical approach. But we leveraged our limited budget ($32,346) by identifying channels that would connect with people where they spend most of their time: online. It wasn’t just about finding a new context to talk about card benefits, it was about building a community for the long term. From being a non-player, UAE Food Explorer helped Standard Chartered cement their presence in the dining space and communicated the 15% cashback offer to an interested, engaged audience. It also reinforced the brand promise of being ‘Here for Good’.

Results

The response proved the old adage ‘Nothing brings people together like food’ is more than true. In just 4 weeks, monthly Standard Chartered card dining spends increased by 17.2%. Inactive cardholders spent 27.6% more on their card. Acquisitions increased by an overwhelming 25%. The average time spent on website was 2.40 min (Nielsen industry average: 56 secs). Over 80 new restaurants offered deals while 417 users wrote reviews – and counting. Thousands joined the community on Facebook and Twitter. And perhaps most important, this grassroots campaign built a loyal and engaged food community who are curious about offers to come, and still growing with every bite!

Credits

Name Company Role
Preethi Mariappan TBWA\RAAD Head of Digital
Daniel Djarmati TBWA\RAAD Interactive Art Director
Sandeep Fernandes TBWA\RAAD Interactive Copywriter
Hanin AbuSamra TBWA\RAAD Project Manager
Navin Chauhan TBWA\RAAD Technical Lead
Jerome Conde TBWA\RAAD Sr. UI Developer
Jamie Read TBWA\RAAD Social Media Consultant
Melanie Clancy TBWA\RAAD Content Strategist
Mohammed Khan TBWA\RAAD Social Media Executive
Sawsan Fahim TBWA\RAAD Social Media Executive
Ian Carvalho TBWA\RAAD Brand Leader
Vikas Kohli TBWA\RAAD Digital Account Director
Natasha Monteiro TBWA\RAAD Account Manager
Labiba Hamdan TBWA\RAAD Account Executive