2020/2021 Winners & Shortlists

ORANGE RAMADAN 2020: SONNET EL HAYAH

BrandORANGE EGYPT FOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Product/ServiceRECHARGE OFFER
EntrantLEO BURNETT CAIRO, EGYPT
CategoryUse of Original Composition for a Brand or Campaign
Idea Creation LEO BURNETT CAIRO, EGYPT
Production RHINO PRODUCTIONS Cairo, EGYPT

Why is this work relevant for Entertainment?

Ramadan, the golden occasion of the year, is all about reconnecting with our loved ones. This year, we found ourselves in a “gathering-less” Ramadan; one without friends or family, nor connection with people we need the most around us, especially amidst a pandemic. For that reason, we wanted to spread some positivity and hope through music, a universal language no matter the age, social standing or distance. With a heartwarming, bittersweet song inspired by “real” experiences and Egyptians’ favorite superstar Hussein Al Jasmi, our message touched the hearts of millions and was the most shared during Ramadan.

Background

Egyptians were left in panic-mode after being stripped of sharing the sacred month of Ramadan with their dearest friends and family. Moreover from a brand standpoint, the pandemic changed all the rules of communication affecting what we write and compose. The brief was to develop a brand-centric original song hammering on Orange’s brand role “bringing you closer to what matters”. The main objectives being establishing the brand role, increasing the brand’s awareness and more importantly shareability. To find our winning formula, we focused on keeping it “REAL” with stories inspired from our own experiences. Lyrics encompassed feelings of despair of the thousands of Egyptians abroad not able to come back home, and the millions of Egyptians who are home but away from those dearest to them. But along with that of despair also came the hope of a day where we’re reunited.

Describe the creative idea

Egyptians, who are social by nature, have been missing a fundamental value that truly matters to them: togetherness – thanks to COVID-19. So being a brand whose role is to bring you closer to what matters, our idea was “no matter the distance, stay close to the ones who matter”. It was all about spreading hope in a time of hopelessness. After all, what other choice do we all have when a pandemic takes the world by a storm? Especially during Ramadan, the time we long for to extend affection and compassion, to connect with our loved ones and visit people we don’t see for years on end. This year, there was no need for fiction when our reality was enough to inspire. We relied on real emotional stories depicting families and loved ones who are away, and are finally brought back together.

Describe the strategy

Orange never really introduced the brand role explicitly before. Coupled with Ramadan and the unfortunate pandemic, we saw a golden opportunity to do so at a time where people will truly relate to it the most. Emphasizing the role of “bringing you closer to what matters” had to be done by probing the audience through lyrics that “closeness” is possible at a distance. We were determined to keep things real and simple, whether it came to the stories used, phrases in the lyrics, or instruments and melody in the composition. It was important for the audience to feel fully immersed, and experience the song through their own lens. Luckily, people ended up seeing it as their own, with the copy getting 4X as much user-generated content compared to the competition, and the highest shareability.

Describe the execution

Our copy is built on a song showcasing 5 stories of different generations/SEC’s inspired by real people, and what happens when life brings them apart. Its power’s rooted in the lyrics, composition, and choice of singer Hussein El Jasmy. Despite being Emirati, Egyptians always considered him to be one of their own, and his voice believable and patriotic. Who better to sing about life than him? Lyrics were crafted to leverage phrases Egyptians hold dear, like “Sonnet-El-Hayah”. While its literal translation is “This is life”, the figurative meaning it holds is so much more. To Egyptians, “Sonnet-El-Hayah” is the bittersweet phrase that’s said to help them push-through their hardships. It’s their acceptance and closure of circumstances life throws, like the ones shown in the visual execution guided by the song. Due to high-performing results, the copy continued to air on TV for 2 weeks after Ramadan.

Describe the outcome

From day one of the launch, the copy was trending #1 on YouTube and #1 trending across ALL countries on Anghami, continuing the streak of #1 trending on Anghami for more than 20 days after. Only a week into the launch, the copy hit 20M views on Facebook, led the rank for the most shared Telecom Ad for Ramadan 2020, and achieved the highest engagement and organic performance compared to other copies with shares surpassing 150,000. The copy also achieved 4X times the user generated content compared to the competition with more than 500,000 pieces of content. In addition, the copy surpassed 65M views on YouTube, 50M of which were achieved in under a month.

Credits

Name Company Role
Osama El Arnaouty AMA Leo Burnett Director & Creative Director
Salma Ezz AMA Leo Burnett Creative
Hosam Ahmed AMA Leo Burnett Art Director
Adham El Khosht AMA Leo Burnett Creative
Ahmad Fahmy AMA Leo Burnett Head of Communications
Nadeen Maged AMA Leo Burnett Communications Manager
Aliaa El Alaily AMA Leo Burnett Communication Executive
Amr Saleh N/A Art Director
Nadim George N/A Director of Photography
Farida Fouad N/A Stylist
Hagar Hammad N/A Production
Rhino Productions Rhino Productions Production House
Mohamed Abdelrehim N/A Production
Saleh El-Azab N/A Production
Amal Gharbo N/A Production
Farah Dabbour N/A Production
Shady Salah N/A Production
Ahmed Tarek N/A Production
Karim Darwish N/A Production
Amr Gaafar N/A Production
Amr Abdo Abu Haiba N/A Production
Mirette Amer N/A Production
Amr Samra N/A Production
Anan Fathi N/A Production
Amr Seiko N/A Production
Mohamed Abdel Bar AMA Leo Burnett Art Director
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