2016 Winners & Shortlists

ANGELS OF RAMADAN

BrandAL RIFAI
Product/ServiceCORPORATE
EntrantRÉPUBLIQUE Beirut, LEBANON
CategoryUse of Promotional Stunts/ Live Advertising / Live Shows / Concerts & Festivals
Entrant Company RÉPUBLIQUE Beirut, LEBANON
Advertising Agency RÉPUBLIQUE Beirut, LEBANON
Production Company MEEM CREATIVE HUB Beirut, LEBANON

The Brief

As one of Lebanon's leading national brands, Al Rifai has a responsibility wanted to maintain its leader's position at a time when brands are fighting for attention. The client wanted to create a Ramadan activation that would differentiate itself from the regular communication clutter, while also developing their CSR initiatives during this time of year. We wanted to create a feel-good, emotional event that would reinforce Al Rifai's leadership position, but also clarify its stance as a socially-aware, culturally-connected brand, inciting a more personal conversation between the brand and its customers.

Creative Execution

Ramadan is a time of year where brands scramble to get exposure in the media. Instead of creating a tactical campaign that would merely speak about Al Rifai, we wanted to create an activation that would get Al Rifai spoken about, therefore lifting it up above the rest of the seasonal communication. Tackling a sensitive topic such as the needy in Lebanon needed to be executed with care. The resulting activation was produced and executed on the streets of Lebanon, and then documented to be promoted through Facebook, allowing it to be seen by hundreds on the streets and then through millions online. It ran according to the original plan and was never adapted for any other medium.

Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results

The activation garnered praise and admiration from all that experienced it. From the people that benefited from the supplies delivered to their neighbors and citizens that watched the 'Angels' deliver the boxes, everyone was overcome with joy and happiness. The activation's documentation was presented to the world to see and received over 500,000 views within the first week. Angels of Ramadan was praised as an activation that helped support an important social issue in Lebanon, while also showing Islam in a positive light, at a time when it is getting a lot of negative media attention.In terms of sales, the film raised awareness in markets where Al Rifai was previously unknown. Across the Muslim world the brand became more known - which was evident in the increased online sales during Ramadan and the months after from countries in the Far East, Africa and Eastern Europe.

Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service

The Angels of Ramadan activation is part of the Promo & Activation category based on the initiative to create an event that would both shed light on a social issue, which encouraged giving during Ramadan as well as position the brand as a culturally and socially aware entity. By creating the activation, we were able to promote Al Rifai as a top of mind brand during the Holy Month.

Credits

Name Company Role
Fadi Mroue République Executive Creative Director
Yasmin Murad République Creative Director
Sami Kiwan République Digital Art Director
Miriam Jbeily Meem Creative Hub Producer
Rami Kodeih Director
Bachar el Hajj DOP
Elias Chahine Editor
Bilal Ghalayini Drone Operator
Carlos Rbeiz Drone Operator
Elie Hashash Drone Operator