2019 Winners & Shortlists

SUNSET

BrandCOCA-COLA
Product/ServiceRAMADAN CAMPAIGN
EntrantFP7/DXB Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
CategoryFast Moving Consumer Goods
Idea Creation FP7/DXB Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Media Placement FP7/DXB Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
PR FP7/DXB Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Production FP7/BEY Beirut, LEBANON
Production 2 FP7/DOHA, QATAR
Production 3 MINT MENA Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Production 4 FILM PUDDING Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Production 5 SERENA Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Why is this work relevant for PR Lynx?

During Ramadan, the Middle East’s Super Bowl, when Coca-Cola needed to enhance its reputation as a cultural leader, we didn't follow regional trends creating standard TV campaigns in our region to get high reach and eye-balls. Instead, we tackled Islamophobia worldwide, and got Coca-Cola to step outside our region, creating a story, about Ramadan abroad, for someone from our region. It is the first Ramadan campaign for Middle East that wasn't located in nor showing the Middle East. Seeded online across Coca-Cola Europe’s social media platforms, with zero media dollars, the idea changed ingrained prejudices with both, Muslims and non-Muslims.

Background

The Middle East is one of the rare regions where Coca-Cola is a distant #2 vs. Pepsi. Now, over the years, because cultural leadership has always proven to be an effective driver in brand and business growth for Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola needed a cultural leadership point-of-view in today’s world. And Ramadan was the ideal month. Ramadan tends to be THE region's Super Bowl; the marketing and TV showcase event of the year. Ramadan is also a month of unity, togetherness and humanity. With Coca-Cola needing an uplift during Ramadan, it was time to go back to what made Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola. Now, because Ramadan tends to be cluttered with TV ads and big media spends, including those from Pepsi, we wanted Coca-Cola to skip the TV clutter and win the battle on social media. And we wanted to tackle a major cultural tension to reclaim Coca-Cola's reputation as a cultural leader.

Describe the creative idea.

We didn't want to blend in with regional brands creating campaigns in the Middle East during the Ramadan Super Bowl. We wanted Coca-Cola to step outside our region and told an untold story, about Ramadan in the Western world, for someone from the region living and fasting abroad. With social media being the new mass media and inspired by societal movements driven by social media, we chose social media to bring our message to life. Being a divisive medium, it was the perfect place to stage a story that goes against divides and talks about unity. And bringing two worlds apart, together, during Ramadan, the month of unity, we created "Sunset". Sunset is a moving story, around Iftar (the meal to break one’s fast at dusk), about a Muslim woman fasting abroad, developing a real human connection with a non-Muslim woman, with clear differences between them.

Describe the strategy.

Take Ramadan abroad, outside MENA, to win Ramadan inside MENA. • Show what binds us together and unites us, in these divisive and prejudiced times that we live in, is stronger than what pulls us apart. • Situate the story in the Western world, without specifying any nationality or geography. It’s a story of Ramadan abroad, in a foreign land. • Have the story transcend national boundaries, addressing unnecessary divisions and prejudices between us, that keep us apart vs. bringing us together. • Encourage people, abroad (and in the region), to show kindness and empathy, starting this Ramadan, whether or not one personally observes the religious festival. Harnessing the organic power of powerful messages on social media, we wanted to share Coca-Cola's point of view on social media, away from the the clutter of Ramadan TV ads in Super Bowl-like media environments in the region.

Describe the execution.

"Sunset" explains the Muslim tradition of fasting during Ramadan through a moving story of a young Muslim, fasting from pre-dawn to pre-dusk abroad. While embodying Coca-Cola's optimistic spirit, "Sunset" doesn’t shy away from tough topics, showing challenges as the young Muslim is mocked for wearing a headscarf and treated with prejudice by judgemental passers-by. But, "Sunset" also shows the inviolable beauty of respect and acceptance, as the young Muslim finds unexpected empathy and support from a thoughtful stranger, a non-Muslim. And it leaves us a thought-provoking message: "What binds us together is bigger than what divides us". Harnessing the organic power of social media, "Sunset" was launched abroad, staying true to the meaning, across Coca-Cola’s international social media platforms (global and European Facebook and YouTube pages) during Ramadan. With $0 media budgets behind it, we were reliant on social media to spread the word and spark conversations. And it did.

List the results.

With a media spend of $0, “Sunset” became the most impactful and least divisive point of view among all the genuinely viral Ramadan campaigns on social media from the Middle East. It went genuinely viral when digital publishers, media platforms and key opinion leaders, regionally and worldwide, re-shared and re-posted the film on their social media channels, organically, leading to it earning nearly 48 million views across platforms. Earned 70% view-through-rates; a Coca-Cola global benchmark. Endorsed by leading media platforms, regionally and worldwide. Over 330,300 articles, posts and shares reached more than 50% of countries on our planet. We saw a trend of “reaction videos” to the story pop-up across the region and beyond. Coca-Cola earned ~$4.6million and rising in PR and media value. This buzz and conversations impacted record highs in pan-regional growth for Coca-Cola’s key brand and business equities: 12% brand love. 20% brand favourtism. 26% Ramadan consumption.

Credits

Name Company Role
Wasim Basir Coca-Cola Integrated Marketing Communications
Aysha Haidar Coca-Cola Integrated Marketing Communications
Islam El Dessouky Coca-Cola Integrated Marketing Communications
Craig Bagno McCann Worldgroup EVP, Global Group Strategy Director
Tahaab Rais FP7 McCann MENAT Regional Head of Strategy
Gareth Paul FP7 McCann Doha Executive Creative Director
Emile Atallah FP7 McCann Beirut Managing Director
Wissam Matar FP7 McCann Beirut Creative Director
Dolly Saidy MINT MENA Production Consultant
Pucho Mentasti Director Director
Manu Bullrich DOP DOP
Sizzer Music/Composer Music/Composer
Ashraf Muhammedunny FP7 McCann Dubai Editor and Visual Artist
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