2019 Winners & Shortlists

Why is this work relevant for Brand Experience & Activation?

With Liv. being a newcomer to the world of digital banking, and the first digital lifestyle bank in the UAE, we had to find a way to build loyalty amongst tech-savvy and lifestyle-centric millennials aged 18-35. We therefore created a gamified loyalty program like no other, that has not only kept (and still keeps) users engaged with the Liv. app and debit card, but also treats them with experiential rewards that keeps them coming back for more…all at a fraction of the cost of traditional loyalty programs.

Background

Just a few months into its launch in 2017, Liv. bank was seeing healthy acquisition rates, but was faced with a few challenges. While app downloads were initially steady, growth was stagnant. Organic customer acquisition rate, average balances, spend rate and usage were all low. The Liv. debit card was being used mostly for small expenses as customers were still not ready to shift their bigger spends from their other accounts. Liv. was also being used for smaller savings while big deposits were still placed with traditional banks. Liv., was being used like a wallet instead of a fully-functional bank account. Liv. needed to start building loyalty fast, in a way that was bold and different, in order to appeal to millennials. This had to be achieved with limited marketing budgets that did not allow for guaranteed rewards or dollar value against loyalty points, unlike other loyalty programs.

Describe the creative idea.

With Liv.’s raison d’être being naturally mobile-first, the key opportunity was to add a layer of gamification to the app, that would encourage new sign-ups and usage, and in turn, loyalty, over an extended period of time. And so, we introduced ‘Livions’, a new digital currency that millennials could collect by using the app or the card for multiple transactions, all the while creating a sense of competition, achievement and reward. We fed their ‘need’ for instant gratification and their ‘desire’ to win with exciting draw-based rewards.

Describe the strategy.

Traditionally, in the banking sector, loyalty was centered around financial incentives. However, with tech-savvy millennials, we needed something bolder and different to engage their attention. We therefore created a loyalty program that was easy to visualize, simple to participate in, entertaining and gave them experiential rewards. Livions were positioned as a new digital currency that millennials could collect by using the app to log in, pay bills, transfer money, or simply by using their card for transactions. Livions were also an incentive to drive transactions or delight customers on special occasions (extra Livions as treat on Halloween) We didn’t assign a monetary value to Livions. Instead, we chose to bank on in-app gamification and gave our customers a chance to win a variety of rewards. The more you use the Liv. card and app, the more points you collect...and the more chances you have to win incredible prizes.

Describe the execution

We first launched our Livions campaign by giving customers two compelling reasons to collect Livions: redeem Livions to spin our in-app Wheel to win daily prizes, or save them for a chance to win a Tesla! Livions allowed 25 finalists to compete in a live game of Livingo, Liv.’s version of Bingo! Their 16-digit Liv. card number became their Livingo card and whoever crossed off all the numbers first would win the Tesla! Our other customers also got to play a digital game of Livingo to win instant prizes. The game was so successful that we brought it back a couple of months later! Next, we gamified Livions with a digital version of Snakes & Ladders. Livions were used to roll the dice in the Liv. app, for a chance to win 50,000 vouchers and other prizes like a trip to Bali, free fuel for a year, Apple electronics, etc.

List the results.

In the span of 12 months, over 50 million Livions were collected. The Spin the Wheel campaign saw 130,000 spins, and over 13,000 prizes were won! The Snakes and Ladders game is played by over 62,000 customers every week, and we suspect it’s becoming an addiction for some ;) But more importantly, our app and our card are being used more than ever: - Average logins per customer increased by 75%, with customers logging in once every two days on average - Our customer base grew by 390% with 80% acquisition being organic, driven by word of mouth, with no on-ground promotion or a sales call centre. - Debit card spends quadrupled - Account balances grew almost six-fold.