2019 Winners & Shortlists

THE RETURN OF THE MOULID

BrandAL ABD
Product/ServiceMOULID SWEETS
EntrantSAATCHI & SAATCHI EGYPT Cairo, EGYPT
CategoryFast Moving Consumer Goods
Idea Creation SAATCHI & SAATCHI EGYPT Cairo, EGYPT

Why is this work relevant for Brand Experience & Activation?

With the objective of “bringing back the moulid tradition to younger Egyptians” in mind and to have them appreciate and welcome back the Moulid traditions, we were aware that merely running an ad on TV wasn’t enough. Instead, we had to establish a strong bond and bring them as close as possible to the brand and the tradition by making them be part of it; to experience the flavor of El Moulid - both emotionally and physically, especially because the original Moulid has always been based on events and celebrations that participants enjoyed its flavor and festivities.

Background

The economic situation in Egypt has been deteriorating since 2016 due to the devaluation of the Egyptian Pound; leading Egyptians to set priorities when it came to their purchasing choices. This dramatically affected the Moulid sweets market, especially given that Egyptians interest around Al Moulid has dropped over the past 20 years. Accordingly the business objective this year was to grow sales by 20%.

Describe the creative idea.

Under the idea of "bringing back the Moulid's happiness", we were aware that Egyptians, especially younger ones, have not witnessed the celebratory feel of the Moulid and have no true connection with the event. Accordingly, it was crucial for us to alter their experience with the Moulid and to experience its festivities and happiness for real.

Describe the strategy.

We are targeting BC Class young Egyptians that did not get a chance to experience the Moulid festivities, and instead only know it as an official holiday. We decided that in order to increase penetration and grow sales, it was inevitable to get them acquainted with what the Moulid actually meant, and how its joyful celebrations and flavor were much more beyond the sweets so that they would finally choose to actively participate - by being emotionally and physically part of the campaign.

Describe the execution

We started by anonymously sending the Moulid Iconic characters to every street in Cairo, leaving people to wonder who’s behind it… Then, under the umbrella of “Let’s Bring the Moulid’s Happiness Back”, Al Abd Moulid-themed bus roamed 14 governorates, and we went live on Facebook to extend the joy virtually and announce our next stop. The theme was adapted in every relevant store to ensure our message was effectively delivered to shoppers. Then the film was released as an invitation to participate in our grand celebration. 90,000 attendees showed up at the event, and they got to enjoy a full day of Moulid’s games, performances, festivities & sweets. Our giveaways did not stop at Al Abd’s Moulid’s sweets, but extended to a kids coloring books that educated the kids on the Moulid’s special characters, as well as Moulid characters fridge magnets – with a modern twist – as souvenirs.

List the results.

Sales grew by 29.7% in volume vs. last year. The campaign achieved 22M views, and engagement reached 20M. As for the mega event, it was attended by 90,000 persons.

Credits

Name Company Role
Amr Darwish Publicis Communication Chief Operating Officer
Ramy Badr SAATCHI & SAATCHI Cairo Creative Director
Wael Nazeem SAATCHI & SAATCHI Cairo Client Services Director
Gasser Samaha SAATCHI & SAATCHI Cairo Copywriter
Omar El Moataz Belah SAATCHI & SAATCHI Cairo Associate Creative Director
Nuran Lashin SAATCHI & SAATCHI Cairo Account Manager
Ahmed Youssef SAATCHI & SAATCHI Cairo Art Director
Ahmed Kamel SAATCHI & SAATCHI Cairo Art Director
Ingy Noureldin SAATCHI & SAATCHI Cairo Senior Digital Executive
Sherif Rafik Leo Burnett Digital Director