Creative Execution
We invited UAE residents to tweet or SMS their congratulations to the UAE via the hashtag #LongLiveMyCountry. The names and messages were then collected and published in a special 8-page supplement in the country’s top newspapers on UAE National Day, along with Etisalat’s own message of congratulations.
To recruit as many participants as possible, we started a campaign two weeks prior to the celebration date with press releases in local Arabic newspapers and an extensive online campaign. Online, we focused on social media such as Facebook and Twitter where the hashtag could easily be used and shared.
Etisalat succeeded in bringing the country together while building positive conversations around the brand and a heartfelt wish to the UAE from Etisalat and its residents.
o Nearly 20,000 congratulatory messages were received via Tweets and SMS from all generations
o #LongLiveMyCountry filled the Twittersphere with over 5,000 mentions leading up to National Day and on the day itself
o National sentiment was at an all-time high with words like Pride, Love, Protect, Glorious and Country dominating online conversations
o Newspapers that carried the special supplement increased sales by 3% on National Day (uncommon on a national holiday). And returned copies from newsstands dropped from an average of 15% to only 8%.
The UAE was about to celebrate its 42nd anniversary – a day when Emiratis and residents would feel a sense of patriotism and pride. Etisalat wanted to send the country a ‘huge congratulations’, but didn’t want to be just any other brand using a standard template (insert brand logo here).
Older generations, who were around when the nation was born, have a deep sense of patriotism. They are traditionalists who prefer old school media such as Newspapers. Younger generations, grew up in a more progressive UAE, and are proud of the countries newer achievements. When it comes to news, youth turn to online looking for quick bytes they can easily view, like and share.
Our strategy was to build a massive crowd-sourced congratulatory message to the UAE on its 42nd National Day that would bridge the gap between traditional newspapers and online/mobile while conveying the patriotism of different generations.
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