2017 Winners & Shortlists

The Campaign

Ad D – A print ad that gave people across the UAE some much-needed Vitamin D! Over the summer months, we created a series of magazine covers with photochromic ink across UAE’s leading editorials that literally moved people out into the sun. The photochromic-inked covers at first glance were blank; being light sensitive, these covers could only be read once people stepped outside into the sun. We invited people to actually expose their magazine covers to sunlight. with an intriguing call to action: “To find out what an estimated 7.5 million people in the UAE are missing, expose this cover to sunlight.” Once the readers stepped outside with the magazine covers, the ink revealed Daman’s message: “Vitamin D is essential for good health. Just 20 minutes every day in the sun gives you all you need to keep your bones and muscles healthy.”

Creative Execution

By experiencing the transformative effect of the sun on the ink (and the magazine), people understood that just like the photochromic covers were designed to work under exposure of sun, our bodies were also designed to get the needed vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. We partnered with 2 of the more popular magazines in the UAE to help us not only amplify our reach but also collectively target men, women and different demographic profiles: Gulf Business opened the door for us to talk to the finance and business sectors, while GOOD targeted the home and leisure markets. The magazines were sent to the subscribers and distribution lists of the two magazines. And the magazines were also distributed across UAE stores All channels led people to a web and mobile content platform - www.vitamindaman.com - an interactive digital experience that gave visitors details ensuring they get enough Vitamin D.

1 - We reached 1/3rd of UAE’s population through our idea and engaged 27% of the total audience reached (vs. the target of 25%). 2 - We witnessed the impact of the idea with an instant 10% drop in costs of tests to the UAE economy (vs. the target of 2.5%). 3 - Vitamin D tests were costing the UAE economy AED 140 million annually. Costs have eventually reduced by AED 14 million (vs. the target of 3.5 million), saving 10% of the yearly costs for the economy – a significant achievement for Daman.

This is an idea that turned conventional media (print magazine covers) into a treatment for Vitamin D deficiency. And gave people in the UAE some much-needed Vitamin D.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

90% of the Vitamin D that one needs can be obtained from the sun. The exposure of the skin to sunlight is the most natural and effective source of Vitamin D. But the reality is that it is also the most neglected source of Vitamin D across most people in the UAE. And it just gets tougher during the long summer when people aren’t really receptive to stepping out into the sun for long. The truth is that just 20 minutes of exposure a day (spread over the course of a day) is enough to get enough Vitamin D to keep one healthy. We wanted to create an innovative way for people to get some much-needed Vitamin D, by getting them to step out into the sun for a few minutes and experience the transformational impact that time in the sun and exposure to sunlight can have on their health.