2016 Winners & Shortlists

The Campaign

With expatriates forming 84% of its population, the UAE is a melting pot of cultures. Commonly, people of different nationalities work together during the week then join their respective communities on the weekend. Filipinos are the exception. They get together not just on the weekend, but even at work, at lunch, dinner, coffee break, be it summer or winter. This “wolf-pack” mentality is linked to the “tropa” (Tagalog for “troop”) culture, which makes Filipinos stick together not only because it gives them a sense of being close to home but also because a tropa will always be your closest friends for life.

The Brief

To produce a soundtrack of a commercial and turn into a downloadable song with its own music video and karaoke video, targeting the Filipino community.

Execution

Maintaining authenticity was crucial for every part of the campaign, which began with a film shot by a Filipino director, set in one of the community’s most popular hangouts in the UAE, the Satwa Basketball Court. Amplifying the story is an original ‘Tagalish’ hip-hop track produced by The Recipe’s Lucky Schild and featuring the vocals of Filipino rapper Twisted Martinez. The song put a comedic yet positive spin on how being part of a Tropa means always sticking together. The film was launched on Facebook and YouTube, and aired on The Filipino Channel. Social media demand led to the soundtrack being released on soundcloud.com as a free download. A special media idea was also employed, with the knowledge that at the UAE’s numerous retail outlets, malls and restaurants, the sound system is controlled by the predominantly Filipino staff. Through a direct-mail incentive, Filipino employees ensured that the song was regularly played in their outlets.

There are approximately 800,000 Filipinos in the UAE. Within 3 days of launching, the online film generated 417,000 views, 4,600 likes and over 1,700 shares on Facebook alone. The daily target for product acquisition was 1,000. During the entire first month of the campaign, daily acquisition was over 2,000 (200% the intended target).

The Strategy

In the UAE, people of different nationalities work together during the week. Then on the weekend they join their respective communities. Except for the Filipinos. They are always seen grouped together, 24/7. This “wolf-pack” mentality is linked to the “tropa” (Tagalog for “troop”) culture, which makes Filipinos stick together knowing that tropa members are friends for life. Du’s campaign to launch its Filipino Bundle acknowledged this insight. Unlike most campaigns targeting Filipino expatriates, du did not resort to heart-wrenching drama or Asian clichés. Rather, it created a campaign that the audience became proud to be portrayed as – underdogs with a sense of humor; streetwise heroes who stick together no matter what.