2012 Winners & Shortlists

The Campaign

Our agency was appointed by Aujan Industries, one of the largest independent beverage companies in the Middle East, to manage its corporate and consumer communications requirements – including, very importantly, the announcement of the company’s US$ 1 billion partnership agreement with The Coca-Cola Company, the world's largest beverage company. The Agency developed a positioning strategy focused on the benefits of the transaction to the two companies, its employees and consumers. A full Communications Toolkit, including messaging, Q&As, relevant background information and talking points was prepared, and the company spokesperson, Chairman of the Aujan Industries, underwent extensive media training in both Arabic and English. A series of strategic interviews were conducted under embargo before the transaction was announced via a press release which was distributed across the six Gulf Cooperation Council states, Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon. The Agency then managed a wide range of follow-up regional and international press inquiries. The Agency organised one-to-one interviews with the Financial Times, Al Arabiya and Arabian Business and generated nearly 90 articles in the regional press equalling total perceived editorial value of almost US$500,000.

The Brief

We worked closely with its client, Aujan Industries, and the company’s partner, The Coca-Cola Company, on both external and internal communications for this milestone announcement. Because The Coca-Cola Company is an American firm that has faced historical reputational issues in the Middle East region – including an earlier consumer boycott of the company’s brands – there were special sensitivities that needed to be managed, especially the status of Aujan’s Iranian operations, which were excluded from this transaction. There were additional considerations in this regard as The Coca-Cola Company’s shares are publicly listed in the United States.

Results

One-to-one interviews led to the following outcomes: • In-depth broadcast coverage of the transaction on Al Arabiya just minutes after the transaction was announced (with stock video footage provided by the Agency) • In-depth online coverage on the extremely influential Arabian Business website, also just minutes after the announcement, followed by a cover story on the Chairman and the partnership with The Coca-Cola Company in the print edition of the magazine • Extensive same-day coverage on the FT.com, reaching 2.1 million readers, as well as next-day coverage of the transaction in the international print edition of the Financial Times, reaching a total pass-along readership of more than 1.2 million Nearly 90 articles were generated in the regional press, with a total perceived editorial value of almost US$500,000 – excluding international coverage.

Execution

Activity began with mapping external and internal stakeholders. A set of concise and compelling messages were developed for each stakeholder group, supporting forward-looking messages with evidence to demonstrate that this transaction would benefit both companies and their stakeholders. These messages were developed as part of a Communications Toolkit, which included extensive Q&As, relevant background information and talking points for Aujan spokesperson, Adel Aujan, company Chairman. Following agreement on the strategy and development of messaging materials, the Agency provided extensive Arabic and English media training for the Chairman. The Agency established a calendar of strategic interviews – conducted under embargo before the transaction was announced – with key media. A press release was developed, distributed to leading media across the GCC, Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon. The agency also managed all regional and international press inquiries on the day of the announcement and following, leading to further coverage informed by Aujan’s perspective.

The Situation

On December 14, 2011, Aujan Industries, one of the largest independent beverage companies in the Middle East, and The Coca-Cola Company announced a binding agreement for The Coca-Cola Company to acquire approximately half of the equity in Aujan’s existing beverage business. Once closed, this $980 million transaction will provide Saudi Arabia-based Aujan Industries a platform to accelerate the international growth of brands such as Rani and Barbican. Moreover, the transaction represented the largest-ever investment by a multinational firm in the Middle East’s fast moving consumer goods sector.

The Strategy

We developed a positioning strategy focused on how: 1. The transaction was a partnership rather than a takeover, and would provide Aujan Industries a platform to accelerate the international growth of its brands, and position The Coca-Cola Company as a leader across the Middle East 2. The transaction would provide multiple long-term benefits for both companies’ consumers 3. The transaction would provide significant growth opportunities for employees and partners of Aujan