2020/2021 Winners & Shortlists

Background

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) is one of the UAE’s oldest and most influential companies. Founded in 1971, the day that the UAE was first formed, ADNOC is one of the world’s leading energy producers and a primary catalyst for the nation’s growth and diversification. It is also one of largest employers, employing over 50,000 people. Despite the company’s rich history and role as the primary catalyst of the UAE economy, it had never effectively defined or communicated its brand purpose. • There was no communications function. • There was no brand strategy. • There was no brand model. • There was no brand narrative. • There were no brand guidelines. • There were no brand templates. And brand equity was divided across 20 different companies, each of which had their own sense of identity (in the sense that they had their own logos and ways of working).

The Interpretation of the Challenge (30% of vote)

Despite being one of the world’s leading energy producers and most prominent companies in the UAE, ADNOC has never effectively defined or communicated its brand purpose. In support of their ongoing business transformation, we set ourselves an ambitious target: to fundamentally change perceptions of ADNOC and reposition the company as the UAE’s most influential brand. To achieve this, we identified a series of strategic priorities: 1. Align the brand portfolio 2. Redefine the brand model 3. Define a unique and credible brand purpose / strategic narrative 4. Identify and leverage effective engagement platforms / opportunities to help reinforce brand purpose Success would be measured by our ability to: • Reignite pride and purpose amongst ADNOC’s employees • Enhance awareness and understanding of ADNOC’s critical role and enduring impact on the nation • Reignite community pride and passion in the ADNOC brand • Reinstate ADNOC’s role as the employer of choice

The Insight / Breakthrough Thinking (30% of vote)

Interviews and workshops - a cross-section of the UAE’s most influential figures (Highnesses / Excellencies) and businesses - conducted to obtain unique insights and perspectives on the brand opportunity. We also conducted desk research, seeking inspiration from progressive thinkers – including Sheikh Zayed and Albert Einstein – to inform the brand’s redevelopment. External research conducted – soliciting the views of 5,000 key stakeholders – to understand perspectives, areas of strength, areas for improvement, and identify critical success factors. An ambitious democratic exercise - involving 50,000+ employees – was undertaken, with an open-ended survey shared, asking employees to describe ADNOC in one sentence. The 20 most common words were then uploaded onto a voting system. 50 digital voting booths were distributed across the ADNOC Group sites, with the five most popular words ultimately being adopted as the new brand values. These were also used as the basis for the brand purpose.

The Creative Idea (20% of vote)

Inspired by renowned progressive figures, mentioned during our research – including the Late Sheikh Zayed – we identified ADNOC’s unique brand purpose. Anchored by the First Law of Thermodynamics – we settled on ‘Energy for Life’. This is a fitting analogy for the value that ADNOC brings to the UAE. The energy of ADNOC - both literally and metaphorically - has been transferred and dispersed throughout the nation, for over 49 years, to enable the UAE and its people to realize their remarkable potential. A cross-section of inspiring Emiratis, who have been positively impacted - directly or indirectly – by ADNOC’s contribution and the vision of the UAE leadership, told their stories across print, broadcast digital, out-of-home and radio, and were promoted across numerous community events and mall activations. Our creative approach prompted the UAE Foreign Minister to write an op-ed commending ADNOC’s contribution and the campaign narrative.

The Outcome / Results (20% of vote)

Our creative strategy has entirely transformed ADNOC and radically shifted perceptions amongst internal, local, regional and international stakeholders. It has created a renewed sense of pride, purpose and belonging amongst ADNOC’s employees, acting as a catalyst for - and reflection of - the business’ broader strategic transformation. It has inspired numerous policy changes, internal initiatives and cultural programs. Today, ADNOC is recognized as the UAE’s #1 brand, with a 29% increase in brand value in the last 12 months. It was recently awarded the title of ‘fastest growing MENA brand’ by a globally recognized authority on brand valuation, and is the first UAE brand to achieve a $10bn valuation. The Energy for Life campaign resulted in positive shifts in brand perception, with a 7% post-campaign increase in favourability across the UAE. It was recognized as the most successful Snapchat campaign in the MENA region, and outranked global social engagement benchmarks.

Please tell us about the challenger brand and how your campaign challenged / was different from your competitors

As the UAE’s oldest and largest company, ADNOC’s transformation required a challenger brand mindset to disrupt 49 years of conservative thinking. In the wake of an unstable economic climate, the UAE Leadership called upon ADNOC to undertake a holistic top down and bottom up review, redefine its position as a leader in the global energy industry and reassert its role as the UAE economy’s key enabler. The brand had to be completely transformed. We set ourselves an ambitious target: to fundamentally change perceptions of ADNOC and to reposition it as the UAE’s most influential brand. We succeeded. We also adopted a bold thought-leadership position - challenging ADNOC’s industry peers to bring “life to energy” – to think differently, embrace disruption and step outside of their comfort zone in their efforts to meet the world’s growing global energy demands in a more sustainable way.