2016 Winners & Shortlists

The Campaign

Trouble was rife in the tourism sector in Kenya. Exacerbated by international advisories, the situation was dire. Opportunity in the form of a Safaricom project that existed to create an annual calendar, presented itself. Safaricom took up the mantle and turned the calendar campaign into an opportunity to turn the tide. It was evident that the cause for the decline was the negativity that tinged our beautiful country’s identity. This Is My Kenya was created to change perspectives. It would begin with Kenyans first, who were the most vocally negative, and it would spread to the world with an invitation to visit Kenya. Through a social experiment, Kenyans were shown how they had sowed seeds of self-deprecation and how they can change their views. We then invited everyone to share any image of the country that they considered beautiful using the tag #ThisIsMyKenya. The support was overwhelming and we then put that fervour in focus by creating an app.

The Brief

According to Sysmos 45% of Kenyans looked at their country less favorably than the international community. It led to a negative view of our nation in the eyes of the international media. The goal was to change this perspective to enlighten people about Kenya’s beauty and use the Safaricom calendar as a medium to change the deplorable state of tourism in Kenya.

Execution

The experiment was conducted in a studio. The subjects were asked to look at an image that told common stories about Kenya. E.g. poverty, strife, and inadequacy. They then predictably described what came to mind. The images were just a part of a larger images that when revealed, showed a positive side of Kenya – to the surprise of the subjects. We then shared this video virally on WhatsApp to give it a personal touch and then to the rest of social media. The campaign started on September 11th and is currently in its 2nd Phase.

We helped changed perception and introduced a culture of amplifying and recognizing any positive stories about Kenya’s image under the mantle #ThisIsMyKenya. This is especially evident against negative publicity on Kenya. The President of the Republic joined in and supported the campaign via a RT, egging the nation on. Consequently, the My Kenya App has been downloaded over 35,000 times, with more than 7000 images of Kenya being shared. A media value of $130,000 with $2,000 spend only. More than 3.5 Mil minutes of branded content & $ 37,500 in media value after spending $5,000.

The Strategy

We elicited the help of media personalities – who set the news agenda each day – and used them as subjects in a social experiment. The idea was to show them the bigger picture, film them realizing the short-sightedness of their views and then share that experience with the nation. Upon seeing their media heroes change their view, Kenyans would then appreciate a new attitude towards their country. The revelatory images would then be printed on a calendar and would be a reminder of Kenya’s beauty throughout the year.