2015 Winners & Shortlists

Results and Effectiveness

Approx 1000 blue collar workers (400 more than estimated) attended the screening. (Source : Supplier Estimates) The campaign delivered earned media value of $600K and 700K views on YouTube & Facebook. (Source : Agency Estimates + Social Tracker) The initiative became talking point thanks to the coverage in local media and raised awareness of the less known cause. Many charities , corporates (Zee Cinema/Inara) and even Bollywood celebrities have come forward to support Emirates NBD towards this initiative. The initiative has now spread to 5 other labour camps

Creative Execution

Bringing the cinema to the labor camp was no easy task. Emirates NBD partnered with a labour camp on the “other” side of town, where most wouldn’t dare venture into. On the festive occasion of Eid, we turned a humble labour camp into an open-air cinema- a memorable experience for a 1000 unsuspecting blue collar workers. We showed them ‘Sholay’ – the timeless Bollywood classic and to enhance the big screen experience we gave people pop-corn and ice-cones Bollywood style. We also wanted a long-term sustainable solution to entertainment in the labour camps. So we created ‘Bade Parde Wali Phillum’ (Rural Hindi slang for a big screen movie) – a portable cinema console designed solely for labour camps. We gifted it to the labour camp for them to hold regular movie nights.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

Entertainment is a necessity of life. But for the millions of Blue Collar workers, who toil night and day to build the nation, entertainment is a luxury. About 42.5%* of the UAE workforce consists of South Asian workers who have been subjected to a range of Human Rights abuses including inadequate pay. Their lives are filled with suffering, deprivation and alienation. They crave entertainment and are certified Bollywood fanatics. But a ticket to watch their beloved Bollywood movie is a luxury they simply can’t afford. For the majority of these workers, their last trip to the cinema was before coming to the UAE. If our Blue collar workers can’t afford to go the cinema, why not bring cinema to them in their own backyard – the labour camps? And this is exactly what Emirates NBD did.