2016 Winners & Shortlists

ABBA AHMED'S PRICELESS JOURNEY

BrandMASTERCARD
Product/ServicePRICELESS NIGERIA
EntrantFP7/DXB Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
CategoryLive Experience
Entrant Company FP7/DXB Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Contributing Company FP7/DXB Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Contributing Company 2 DIGITASLBI Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Media Agency CARAT Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Production Company THE VIDEO LOUNGE Cape Town, SOUTH AFRICA

The Campaign

The 2015 Nigerian elections brought back memories of the long history of communal conflict between rival ethnic groups. However, the peaceful transfer of power after the elections prompted MasterCard to build on the positivity, and reinforce unity as a priceless possibility.  Football being the one thing that unites all Nigerians, MasterCard asked champion footballer Kanu to select an underprivileged child – Abba Ahmed (from a rival ethnic group than Kanu’s) as the winner of an online talent competition. Kanu then turned a regular movie outing into a priceless surprise for Abba by announcing him as the winner and handed him his player escort jersey. Ultimately, as the world watched, Abba’s dream came true as he escorted Neymar onto the pitch at the UEFA Champions league final in Berlin, while his family and friends watched him with bated breath on television, eventually leading to wild celebrations and tears of joy. Abba had made the historic journey from Nigeria's streets to the world’s biggest football stage. A heartwarming film documenting his journey from the dusty playgrounds in Lagos to the UEFA Champions League final was shared on social media and created waves of positive word of mouth for MasterCard. We promoted the video via YouTube Pre-Rolls, Video Posts, Video Cards and promoted tweets. (1) 15 million Nigerians reached. (2) 2 million actively engaged through the film and social media. (3) 99% positive sentiments. (3) Organic reach of 40% was 3 times higher than the benchmark in Nigeria (4) Share Rate of 22% was the highest in Nigeria. (5) MasterCard’s transactions grew +60% (vs. the previous year). (6) And it became the foundation for Priceless Surprises in Nigeria, giving MasterCard a sustainable business and brand engagement platform. Most importantly, through Abba’s victory, a nation had come together. And this was priceless.

The campaign achieved the highest ever influence by a brand online in Nigeria. (1) 15 million Nigerians reached. (2) 2 million actively engaged through the film and social media. (3) 99% positive sentiments. (3) Organic reach of 40% was 3 times higher than the benchmark in Nigeria (4) Share Rate of 22% was the highest in Nigeria. (5) MasterCard’s transactions grew +60% (vs. the previous year). (6) And it became the foundation for Priceless Surprises in Nigeria, giving MasterCard a sustainable business and brand engagement platform. Most importantly, through Abba’s victory, a nation had come together. And this was priceless.

Credits

Name Company Role
Kartik Aiyar Fp7/dxb Creative Director
Ali Rez Fp7/dxb Creative Director
Tahaab Rais Fp7/dxb Regional Head of Strategic Planning
Spiro Malak Fp7/dxb General Manager - Business Unit
Paul Banham Fp7/dxb Executive Creative Director
Deblina Gupta Fp7/dxb Account Director
Razan Jalloul Fp7/dxb Account Manager
Khaled Hamza/Brence D'Sa Fp7/dxb Creative Services Director/Production manager
Salvador Porteria/Rizwan/Amit Borawake/Nikhil Fp7/dxb Senior Designer/Studio and Retouch artists
Simon Attwater DigitasLBi MENA Executive Creative Director
Tom Burrell DigitasLBi MENA Director of Strategy/Insight
Shaymaa Abuquta DigitasLBi MENA Strategy Consultant
Shwan Nazar DigitasLBi MENA Art Director
Katrina Petrenko DigitasLBi MENA Copywriter
Rachel Mwakule DigitasLBi MENA Designer
Liala Al Zein Omar DigitasLBi MENA Social Media Executive
Alice Elmi Carat Dubai Associate Media Director
Liam Cundill Director
Werner Els/Ashraf Mohammedunny Editor
Tarek Abdelnabi MasterCard VP Marketing/Sub-Saharan Africa