2013 Winners & Shortlists

The Campaign

Mobile telephony in Lebanon remains one of the most expensive in the world (cost/minute), shaping the market into 90% prepaid vs. postpaid. In reply to the increase demand on cheaper prices and better service, touch launched the 8$ Social Media Bundle. Moreover, touch wanted to connect and strengthen the relationship with its loyal customers as well attract younger new subscribers. The idea was simple; Launch an online competition across all our Social Media Platforms revolving around the bundle. However, we needed a bigger incentive so we teamed up with BlackBerry who awarded 20 brand new smartphones to give away. To maximize the hype online, we knew we needed something bigger than a simple promotion, so we created the: THE REGION’S FIRST REAL-TIME SOCIAL HUNT. We created riddles that led people all over our platforms to find the answers and win the phone. This competition got more than 57 000 people talking about it. It also activated all our social media platforms, doubling viewership and interactions on YouTube and SoundCloud, achieving a total of 49 000 twitter followers and an average of 3000 new fans on facebook per day, making touch the first brand in Lebanon to reach 100 000 fans on Facebook.

The Brief

Deepen and strengthen the relationship with loyal customers as well as attract younger new subscribers. The 8$ social media bundle was strictly developed to help the youth stay connected online and to generate new subscribers to the touch network. The promotion provided: the device (smartphone), the connectivity and the best offer on the market to get people connected instantly. Engaging them on the platforms for which the offer was initially designed for; moreover, it created a connection with the touch customer base and potential new customers.

Results

In only 2 weeks, 65000 pins were submitted, the competition fully activated all our social media platforms, doubling viewership and interactions on YouTube and SoundCloud, achieving a total of 46000 twitter followers and a 30% increase in the social media bundle subscriptions and an average of 3000 new fans per day on facebook, making touch the first brand in Lebanon to hit the 100000 fans with more than 57000 people talking about it during the competition.

Execution

To maximize the hype online, we knew we needed something bigger than a simple promotion, so we created the: THE REGION’S FIRST REAL-TIME SOCIAL HUNT. We created riddles, each carrying a clue that helped the player guess the BlackBerry Pin and win the phone. For 2 weeks the riddles led people all over our platforms to find the answers.

The Situation

The telecom sector is state-owned and the government granted two international operators to manage the sector. Consequently, Lebanon ranks in the top 5 most expensive countries (cost/minute) shaping the market into 90% prepaid vs. postpaid. And as the leading mobile operator, touch needed to maintain a solid and positive relationship with its customers. Additionally, attract newcomers; a PR campaign was needed to impress touch’s payoff “touch a new world”.

The Strategy

The budget was only $35 000 all-inclusive, so we decided to invest all the money in a large scale promotion on touch’s online platforms. However, we needed a bigger incentive so we teamed up with BlackBerry who awarded 20 brand new smartphones to give away.