2016 Winners & Shortlists

The Campaign

Al Rifai are one of Lebanon's leading national brands and as such has a responsibility to present itself to its audiences with a leader's tone of voice in their communication. Ramadan is one of the most active times of year for the brand, which of course it is for most others as well. They wanted to launch a Ramadan campaign that would stand out from the communication clutter while also developing their CSR initiatives during this time of year. As a result, Angels of Ramadan was born. The idea was based on using technology to find a solution to delivering much needed goods to families and individuals in Lebanon. But there were several challenges: How would we find drones that could carry the goods and maneuver their way around the densely populated city, where would we find the people most in need, and how could we document the activation without being too intrusive. Our objective was ultimately to deliver the supplies - so once we had tried and tested several drones, we selected the best in terms of load-carrying and maneuverability. We then put together a team that would investigate different areas of the city to find families and individuals in dire need of help. Once we had the base details down, our last challenge was the documentation. The solution was to have as small of a team as possible - the less people around, the less we would be likely to interrupt the action. In the end, our final film represents the work of so many that came together to do their small part in helping those in need.

Due to the its emotional factor and direct grasp of such a pertinent issue in Lebanon, the campaign quickly spread online. The brand was lauded for shedding light on a problem that is too often placed in the background and praise came from all over the world. As a result, Al Rifai was elevated from a consumer brand that the country already knew and respected, to one that people felt was directly involved in the improvement of Lebanon's social fabric. While there was already a strong relationship between the brand and its consumers, it was further strengthened on a personal level and not just on a consumer level. Sales during Ramadan naturally increased because the holiday usually prompts higher purchasing, but it was the time period after Ramadan that was telling. In the months that followed Al Rifai's Beirut branches experienced increased sales compared to the same time period in 2014, and their online store saw a 15% increase in purchases, leading us to believe that the campaign was effective in terms of bringing a more expanded clientele to their doors.