2019 Winners & Shortlists

FOOD OPENS DOORS

BrandMAGGI
Product/ServiceDIFFERENT MAGGI PRODUCTS
EntrantPUBLICIS MIDDLE EAST Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
CategoryFast Moving Consumer Goods
Idea Creation PUBLICIS MIDDLE EAST Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Media Placement ZENITH Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Production PRODIGIOUS Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Why is this work relevant for Brand Experience & Activation?

As a leading food brand whose purpose is 'to make a real difference in women’s lives', MAGGI managed to live up to its promise: the brand defied cultural norms and drove behavioural change in Saudi Arabia resulting in new businesses opening even in the most conservative parts of the country. We used an impactful storytelling approach in collaboration with influencers, activated 360 and brought the idea to life digitally and socially through a solid ecosystem enabling women to have a personalized experience based on their own needs; and engage with the brand effectively until the end.

Background

Saudi women are on the front line of change. They are more educated, they are driving, and they are exposed to new possibilities… However, it was still the beginning of the journey. In fact, women were still facing many obstacles in other areas that mattered to them. As a leading brand whose purpose is to make a real difference in women’s lives, how could Maggi play an active role in supporting them? Our main goal was to deliver on our promise by listening to women, understanding their struggles and giving them the right support. Objectives: • Contribute to a real change on-ground • Become a source of advice (measured through website traffic) • Reach women at mass (despite 24% drop in media budget vs previous year) • Generate above norm engagement rate on FB and IG (category norm 4%), and a 20% view-through rate on YouTube (regional norm 14%)

Describe the creative idea.

Everyone talked about women driving, but no one talked about women wanting to join the workforce. After all, true empowerment begins with economic independence. Women in Saudi were searching for: “How can I start working?”, “How can I open a business?”. They were longing to work but were struggling and were still not getting the right support from the community and from men. It was still not socially acceptable for them to work. As MAGGI, we wanted to change that. But how does a food brand talk business? “Food Opens Doors” was our creative idea. In fact, interest in ‘food businesses’ was on the rise, and possibilities were endless: food trucks, Insta-food businesses, restaurants etc.. We decided to go on the ground and search for real, ambitious women who were struggling, support them and help them succeed, to set the right positive example for other women and the whole community.

Describe the strategy.

Through pinpointed data research, we detected the top issues that women were facing: lack of know-how, failed attempts, lack of acceptance from the community, etc... and chose experts and influencers in the food business industry to support, in order to guarantee effective results. The approach was authentic, and real. From across the Kingdom, we identified different women - some conservative, some ultra-modern who were struggling to open their business and paired them with those influencers to share their knowledge and advice on how to succeed. The stories were amplified through Search, programmatic, YouTube and social media, expanding the reach of our message, in a targeted way based on what women were searching for.

Describe the execution

In order to activate the story effectively across the consumer journey, we served the audience content relevant to each touchpoint and engaged with them throughout. On YouTube, we featured the stories as episodes, showcasing how those influencers mentored the women depending on their struggles. - Hatun, a recognised woman of change, taught Nihal how to develop a business plan. - Eman, one of the top YouTube food creators, gave Hamama recommendations on food styling, photography and growing her insta-business. - Marwa advised Afaf on marketing efforts to revamp her food truck business. On social media, we offered real-time advice through tips, articles, business plans; and gave women at mass the opportunity to have live social influencer discussions to make the experience more personal and get hands-on advice on their own businesses. Our website encapsulated all content in one location, creating a reliable source people could go back to.

List the results.

MAGGI inspired millions of women who had the ambition but lacked the courage to start. • 218M impressions and 28.7M video views (across all platforms) • 79% reach on FB/IG • Completion rate on FB/IG @30% (3x industry norm) and 28% on YT (2x industry norm) • Active engagement rate on FB/IG of 15% (industry norm 4%) • We drove 533K sessions on site with a massive time spent of 2min 10sec • Massive engagement with influencers who interacted with thousands of women Real impact on-ground: • New businesses opened even in the most conservative parts of Saudi, defying cultural norms and inspiring many others. • Small businesses expanded • As pointed out by Eman, one of the top YouTube creators in Saudi Arabia: “When a woman goes on camera and breaks the rules, she pushes other women to do the same… and she is basically telling them it’s ok!”

Credits

Name Company Role
Bechara Mouzannar Publicis Middle East Chief Creative Officer
Rana Najjar Publicis Middle East Executive Creative Director
Jala Fawaz Publicis Middle East Head Planner
Salam Baalbaki Publicis Middle East Art Director
Ganesh Nandakumar Publicis Middle East Graphic Designer
Clevin Antao Publicis Middle East Copywriter
Kamel Zeitouny Publicis Middle East Copywriter
Myrna Khoury Publicis Middle East Deputy MD
Hayat Tabsh Publicis Middle East Account Manager
Dei El Ayoubi Prodigious ME Director
Jocelyne Abi Jebrayil Prodigious ME DOP
Nayla Chacra Prodigious ME Executive Producer
Serge Mcled Prodigious ME Producer
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