2019 Winners & Shortlists

GIVE IN TO GIVING

Short List
BrandENBD
Product/ServiceVOLUNTEER
EntrantLEO BURNETT DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
CategoryUse of Branded Content created for Digital or Social Media
Idea Creation LEO BURNETT DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Media Placement SPARK FOUNDRY Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Production HANZO FILMS Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Why is this work relevant for Media?

People are generally cynical about the cause of volunteering. They are even more cynical about communication coming from Banks. To shift this mindset, it was crucial to bring people’s guards down before we even began to ask them to jump on-board. This required a calculated media approach that created an aura of acceptance in people’s mind while avoiding any kind of backlash. Considering that the conversion rates of people viewing a video online and actually participating in not very encouraging, we had to ensure that we get maximum views within a limited budget. Not going viral wasn’t an option.

Background.

Volunteerism is on a decline in most parts of the world. In the UAE, only 27 of the population are aware of community service opportunities as opposed 46 in countries like the UK. Only 3.7% of the population actively get involved. As a leading local bank, Emirates NBD understands the direct impact volunteering can have on socio-economic growth. Being official partners of EXPO 2020 and Impact 2030, the bank has to actively shoulder the responsibility of giving volunteer rates a boost in the region. The objective was threefold. 1) To increase awareness and trigger a change in the mindset 2) Bridge the gap between opportunity and intent 3) Clock more volunteering hours.

Describe the creative idea/insights

We started with the insight that altruism is, in fact, a part of the human DNA. The campaign title “Give in to giving” alludes to the idea that we all have a natural urge to help. On World Kindness Day, we launched a short animation film to enlist new volunteers. It tells the story of a resolutely unhelpful individual who has an epiphany when a little old lady needing to cross the road insists on his help. His experience of giving brings about such a glow that his cold heart thaws and he’s transformed into sunny soul.

Describe the strategy.

As collaborating partners of Impact 2030, (UN led private sector coalition for volunteering) we had substantial amount of data on volunteering trends in the UAE and around the world. Locally, we employed social listening and partners like volunteers.ae were brought on board to guide our efforts further. Primary target was residents living in the UAE. Secondary target was private sector organizations and educational institutions. We also wanted to bring about a larger change in mindset, irrespective of age/sex/background/nationality, since volunteering thrives on widespread participation. The hero film directed people to our website where they could register as volunteers. The website also provided important information about volunteering in the UAE. The sign-off for the hero content was Volunteer your time - Give in to giving. Connect with us today.

Describe the execution.

The short film and our website went live a day before World Kindness Day (14th November) to gain topical traction online. The hero content, a short animation helped bring people’s guard down as the quirky and charming characters of the film hit all the right chords. The story was universal and hence shared over and over across social media channels. The film was launched on Emirates NBD’s social media pages including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. For a month in January, the film was also played in Cinemas. Targeted micro-content on Instagram announced upcoming events and invited people to sign up. The campaign is still live, as the film continue to rack up more views, thereby steering a steady flow of potential volunteers towards the registration pages on our website.

List the results.

Volunteer hours clocked for the term (not including partners) by our Volunteer Programme alone was 36,000, as compared to 20,000 in the previous term. The projected number of hours for this term was around 20,000 as well. Traffic to website increased by 10,000% during the month of launch. Various schools, colleges and businesses in the city have been screening the film on their premises. Innumerable NGOs and celebrities involved in philanthropy around the world also shared the film on their websites and social media pages as an important story to tell. The tremendous response, increased participation and shares online has been heartening and indicative of the fact that the campaign gave people something to think about. Views : +110 Million Shares: +5 Million Earned Media Value: +2 Million Dollars

Credits

Name Company Role
Bechara Mouzannar Leo Burnett Chief Creative Officer
André Nassar Leo Burnett Dubai Regional Executive Creative Director
Akhilesh Bagri, Sidney Araujo Leo Burnett Dubai Creative Directors
Akhilesh Bagri Leo Burnett Dubai Copywriter
Ramzi Sleiman Leo Burnett Dubai Regional Communication Director
Hafsa Qureshi Leo Burnett Dubai Account Director
Fabienne Naggear, Lama Mosallem, Aciel Awada Leo Burnett Dubai Communication Executives
Ralph Matar Leo Burnett Dubai Agency Producer
Hanzo Film Hanzo Film Production House
Hijaz Moosa Hanzo Film Executive Producer
Aryasb Feiz Hanzo Film Director
Vikram Krishna Emirates NBD EVP, Head of Group Marketing & Customer Experience
Elena C. Cruz Emirates NBD VP, Head of Brand & Corporate responsibility
Michele Wong Emirates NBD Associate Vice President, Corporate Responsibility
Mai Cheblak Emirates NBD VP, Group Social Media
Elizabeth John Emirates NBD Digital Marketing
Hakan Uzunoglu Emirates NBD Web Design and Development
Hazem Bagh Emirates NBD Social Media
Sapna Kalati Emirates NBD Media
Mazen Hawa Emirates NBD Associate Vice President, Brand
Jawaher Khalil Esmaeel AlShehhi Emirates NBD Manager, Corporate Responsibility
Karl Salibi Leo Burnett Dubai Chief Strategy Officer
Kimberly Douglas Leo Burnett Dubai Planner
Monica Gayed Leo Burnett Dubai Designer
Ahmed Hassan Leo Burnett Dubai Traffic Manager
Harsh Kocher Leo Burnett Dubai Social Media Executive
Venkat Krish Leo Burnett Dubai User Experience Specialist
Ahmed Alzeeny Case Study Editor
Shereen Mostafa Leo Burnett Dubai Head of Production
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