2018 Winners & Shortlists

VODAFONE - MAKE IT RAIN

Short List
BrandVODAFONE EGYPT
Product/ServicePRE-PAID TOP-UP CARD
EntrantJ. WALTER THOMPSON CAIRO, EGYPT
CategoryExcellence in Music / Brand Partnership
Idea Creation J. WALTER THOMPSON CAIRO, EGYPT
Production BIGFOOT FILMS Cairo, EGYPT
Additional Company VODAFONE EGYPT Cairo, EGYPT

The Campaign

Being a value driven segment, money is everything. With an innovation that allowed us to give them more than just the value purchased, it was simple: scratch once recharge, scratch twice to make it rain. We couldn’t just rewrite an existing Shaaby music hit to meet our sell; we’ve always been a brand with its own personality, and we weren’t going to change that. Borrowing from the trend, the genre itself, we created our own. The Shaaby tune that meets everyone’s taste; not too noisy, and not too pop; but the perfect fusion between authentic, trendy, electronic and oriental sounds. We had our own brand-born celebrity; the Genie. Upgrading him was easy, but making him the man that other Shaaby celebrities endorse was a challenge. And we found the perfect match; the top musicians of the genre and rising to take over the industry, Oka & Ortega and Ahmed Shiba.

Creative Execution

Starring our brand-born celebrity, the Genie, and accompanied by his ambassadors, Oka & Ortega and Shiba, swag was our name. Released in music-video form, the song was shot across various places relevant to the mass segment’s daily lives; fish market, streets, local juice bar. Hitting all social media platforms, the tune and dance were instantly supported by a full on digital campaign, using celebrity expressive icons to respond to consumers on the Vodafone page, supported by GIF and video content that showcased how we made it rain. On the same day, both a traditional and LED-based outdoor and point-of-sale campaign took over the entire nation, hitting it further on-ground one-week after the release. Our outdoor and on-ground activations covered the entire nation; from every bus-stop to local weddings and even points of sale, placing our celebrities face and our idea in every corner and bringing entertainment to every door.

The campaign went national. While most of our base has no internet access, our song still managed to go viral across all cities and governorates. Integrating itself naturally in their daily lives, the song travelled across phones, becoming a hit played in cars, weddings, cafes and clubs. 15 days after the launch, internet views reached almost 50Million, with official page engagement hitting a solid 700K. User-generated content took over social media platforms, not to mention other brands and companies riding it success by using it on their official pages. Interim-communication impact is unprecedented, scoring all-strong positive results in cut-through, consumer relevance, uniqueness and most importantly, brand relevance. Because consumers couldn’t get enough, requests have been flooding the brand and celebrities’ pages to release a longer version of the song; and we couldn’t say no. Turning our song into an expression, we integrated entertaining content into Egyptian culture; organically.

A song can change perceptions, ideologies and behavior. The Shaaby music, an uprising oriental electronic genre trending amongst all segments and originated by the mass, has become the nation’s favorite. Vodafone altered its tonality, creating an original tune as its language. Beyond a communication tool, we aimed to create a tune that would take over the nation, becoming the hit that dominates all channels. And it blew up. Sung and danced on by the top Shaaby sensational stars, we took the nation by storm, going as far as meeting the consumers requests to create a longer version; redefining national entertainment.

Make it rain money. Having the card that now represents money, we no longer needed to differentiate between both; which is why we literally made it rain money, and cards. Beyond a commercial/brand song aimed at generating sales, our tune was catchy enough to become a hit regardless of its commercial words. A song that stuck to every ear, a global physical move translated into a dance, and celebrities that listeners adored and recognized. Business-wise, our abuse for the song’s success was going to be a natural impact; it was how we were going to build on it for a larger impact on the brand itself. We needed to translate our idea everywhere; literally. Every street, every home, every market and every personal celebration. If Vodafone was here to make it rain, this time it was not just a promotional message, it was a promise they were going to keep.

Credits

Name Company Role
Mai Azmy J. Walter Thompson Cairo Managing Director
Ibrahim Islam J. Walter Thompson Cairo Head of Creatives
Diana George J. Walter Thompson Cairo Business Unit Director
Heba Hosny J. Walter Thompson Cairo Account Manager
Karim Magdy J. Walter Thompson Cairo Account Executive
Farah Sultan J. Walter Thompson Cairo Copywriter
Marwa Khalifa J. Walter Thompson Cairo Senior Art Director
Mahmoud Shahaat J. Walter Thompson Cairo Art Director
Amir Adib J. Walter Thompson Cairo Planning Director
Tameem Younis Freelancer Director
Begad Omran BigFoot Films Executive Producer
Karim Osman BigFoot Films Producer
Ahmed Tarek Yehia Ahmed Tarek Yehia Music Composer
Mayar Tarek BigFoot Films Producer
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