2019 Winners & Shortlists

#POSTWISELY "IF IT WERE YOUR PAIN. WOULD YOU SHARE IT?"

Short List
BrandDU TELCO
Product/ServiceDU TELECOM
EntrantLEO BURNETT DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
CategoryBusiness Citizenship / Corporate Responsibility
Idea Creation LEO BURNETT DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Media Placement HEARTS & SCIENCE Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
PR MSL Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Production BIG KAHUNA FILMS Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Why is this work relevant for PR Lynx?

du’s mission is to “add life to life.” By tackling a timely and relevant topic, we demonstrated that we care about our customers and the community. We deliberately sparked a public debate about how people interact with social media – a bold move from a company that depends on people to use our internet and data services. We activated a PR plan aiming to create public conversation around the topic of tragic online content. What we managed to achieve was a movement that organically grew and ultimate drove a conversation among customers, media, influencers and even the government.

Background

In 2017, du ran a campaign encouraging people to be more careful about the type of private information they share on social channels. In 2018, we commissioned IPSOS to run a public survey to discover the latest in concerning social media trends. They found that graphic social media content had drastically increased. The problem is that social media users often post and even more regularly share this type of content when they find it in their social feeds. The reasons are numerous – they forget that there are real people on the other side of the screen; they have become numb to such content; or they find it interesting and entertaining. du Telecom inadvertently provides the means for people to consume graphic content through its services. However, du’s brand belief is to “add life to life.” This means that du always considers the societal impact their technology may have.

Describe the creative idea.

As part of du Telecom’s initiative encouraging people to #PostWisely, we created a campaign based on 4 real-life tragic viral videos. We flipped the camera, trapping the viewer in the victim’s point of view, so that they could see and feel some of the pain the victims experienced. Above all, we put the spotlight on the thoughtless people behind the camera who chose to capture the tragedy instead of helping.

Describe the strategy.

We tackled two audiences – the digital vultures who watched negative online content with grim curiosity and then shared it; as well as voyeurs who reached for their smartphones to film people in pain rather than taking any steps to help. We created an integrated social-first campaign that sparked consciousness of their behavior. Our strategy was to position du as a strong corporate voice in the UAE and a brand that stands by its mission to “add life to life,” as its pay-off line suggests.

Describe the execution.

We ran a fully integrated campaign across 3 phases, from 19 February 2018 to 07 May 2018. PR formed a core element of our roll-out plan. We hosted a launch event, which took the form of a round-table discussion. Media, psychologists, and influencers debated the topic. We invited members from the National Media Council government agency to attend and endorse the initiative. We even invited a real-life hero who saved a drowning woman’s life in the UAE, when his friends were filming her instead of helping. We further sustained the conversion as regional influencers and psychologists used our channels to share their informed, educated opinions, adding credibility to our message, and sparking conversations. Through continual news-jacking we ensured journalists embedded du when they wrote about the psychology of social media and its impact on society. The conversations grew organically with many news outlets and content creators picking up the topic.

List the results.

We changed behaviour: 76% of respondents stopped sharing negative content (IPSOS post-campaign survey of 1500 people) People rallied behind our cause: • #PostWisely became a top 10 trending topic in the region. • Campaign was endorsed by: -Over 30 popular influencers region-wide, gaining us massive exposure. -Dubai and Abu Dhabi Police, gaining us credibility and government support. -Popular media outlets, gaining us significant exposure. We became community leaders: • du was invited to host educational roadshows at UAE universities and schools. Brand Recognition: • The campaign contributed to du breaking into the top 10 brands in MENA, from 14th place to 10th.

Credits

Name Company Role
Bechara Mouzannar Leo Burnett Chief Creative Officer
André Nassar Leo Burnett Dubai Regional Executive Creative Director
Rafael Augusto Leo Burnett Dubai Creative Director
Anton Marais Leo Burnett Dubai Senior Copywriter
Bruno Bomediano, Rodrigo Leal Rodrigues Leo Burnett Dubai Head of Art
Dió Wenderly Leo Burnett Dubai Digital ACD
John Smeddle Leo Burnett Dubai CD Copywriter
Shadi Khermasho Leo Burnett Dubai Arabic Copywriter
Shereen Mustafa Leo Burnett Dubai Head of TV Production
Elham Abi Rached Leo Burnett Dubai TV Producer
Haytham Dayeh Leo Burnett Dubai Business Lead
Omar Kishk Leo Burnett Dubai Account Director
Mahmoud Jaber Leo Burnett Dubai Senior Account Manager
Danielle Jamal, Pooja Beri Leo Burnett Dubai Planners
Ali Mostafa Big Kahuna Films Director
Michel Dierickx Big Kahuna Films DOP
Jonathan Ashton, Marwa Al Malik MSL Project Managers
Walaa El Saloussy, Hossam Sherif, Haneen Abdueida Hearts & Science Project Managers
Abdulwahed Juma du - Telecommunications Executive Vice President
Humaida Alkhalsan du - Telecommunications Director Corporate Communications
Rabab AlAbbas du - Telecommunications Manager Corporate Communications Projects
Naema AlShehhi du - Telecommunications Senior Executive Corporate Communications Projects
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