2014 Winners & Shortlists

The Brief

There are over 700,000 Filipinos in the UAE. Many of whom haven’t seen their loved ones in many years. Nokia decided to run a campaign giving Filipinos a chance to win a trip back home. Much like the rest of the expatriate population, Filipinos in the UAE are used to seeing ethnically-neutral communication, especially when it comes from multinational brands that use globally approved imagery. They don’t see mainstream advertising as especially relevant to them. So for this promo, Nokia tapped into a unique cultural insight. One that leads to an emotional connection with the audience.

Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation

Teks cards were a popular storytelling medium that our audience grew up with in The Philippines. We created our own - drawn by an authentic Fillipino illustrator and printed on the exact type of paper as the original cards. It featured a story about a man who reluctantly left home to work in Dubai, but is reunited with his family by winning the Nokia contest. The audience was invited to submit their story to Nokia, so they can be illustrated as teks series. During the live activation, participants' stories were storyboarded on the spot.

Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results

In just one week, we received 600 entries (stories) from participants. Three winners had their stories serialized as teks cards and given away across the country. These three winners were flown home on Valentine's Day and their journey will be televised as episodes in a tie-up between Nokia and the Filipino Channel TFC.

Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service

The emotional nature of the promotion - the sad departure, the restless wait, the happy reunion - suited the storyboard format of teks cards, which were originally created in the Philippines as an affordable alternative to the cinema. It complimented the audience's appreciation for theatric drama and humour. More importantly, everyone who grew up in 80s Philippines had collected, played and traded teks cards. Hence, the Nokia teks cards became instantly collectible to the audience, and led to their eager participation in the promotion.