After decades of tension, Israel and the UAE finally normalized relations in 2020.
But while signing a peace accord is one thing, gaining the trust of Israeli visitors and investors after such prolonged tension was another. So the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) created something that spoke Israel’s language. Literally.
ADIO’s leadership took one of the most analog forms of media – their business cards – and redesigned them completely in Hebrew, a first in the Arab World. They then brought these analog cards to the digital space by posting them to their official LinkedIn pages.
Background
The historic signing of the Abraham Accords between Israel and the UAE in 2020 went a long way toward thawing the ice between the two nations. But just signing a peace accord wasn’t enough to gain the trust of Israeli visitors and investors after years of tension.
The Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) needed something that would deeply touch and connect with Israelis, showing them that the UAE was fully committed to welcoming them and making them feel comfortable in their nation. And what better way to show our guest that they are welcome than by literally speaking their language?
By simply redesigning these business cards in Hebrew, ADIO not only met its objectives, it far exceeded them, leading to 1,500 new contacts from the Israeli business community on LinkedIn and an 180% increase in weekly business leads. All without spending a single dollar on media.
Describe the creative idea / insights (30% of vote)
We needed a profound yet simple and personal creative idea to demonstrate the UAE’s commitment to welcoming Israelis to this nation. And the best way to welcome any person to a nation – and to truly make them feel comfortable there – is to show that you’re not afraid to speak their language. Especially if that language had previously been banned for decades in your region.
So we convinced ADIO’s leadership, including the Chairman, His Excellency Mohammad Ali Al Sharafa, and the Director General, His Excellency Dr Tariq Bin Hendi, to redesign their business cards completely in Hebrew. They then posted these Hebrew business cards to LinkedIn, and could also hand them out in meetings with Israeli visitors and businesspeople. A simple yet profound gesture showing Israelis just how welcome they are in the UAE.
Describe the strategy (20% of vote)
Though the Israeli government had signed the peace accord with the UAE, our target audience was potential Israeli tourists and investors who were still skeptical given the years of tension. These males and females aged 21 and above (some with families and young kids) had lived all of their lives at war with Middle Eastern nations, so it wouldn’t be easy to gain their trust. After years of conflict that had underscored regional wars and global affrays, the Israeli public and investors were uneasy about taking the first step towards visiting an Arab nation. We needed a profound yet simple gesture to prove to them that the UAE was committed to warmly welcoming them to their nation and preparing a great vacation and business environment. We needed to demonstrate Arabian hospitality at its best, which was to make our guests feel welcome and comfortable in a way they understood.
Describe the execution (20% of vote)
Leading the welcoming party was the Chairman of ADIO, His Excellency Mohammad Ali Al Sharafa, and the Director General, His Excellency Dr Tariq Bin Hendi, who did the unthinkable by redesigning their business cards in the Hebrew language, a language that had been banned for decades in the UAE. They then posted these Hebrew business cards to their personal LinkedIn pages, to be seen and witnessed by thousands of people across the region and the world. But most importantly, to be seen and shared by the Israeli public and Israeli businesspeople, stimulating an emotional response and opening their hearts and minds to visiting the UAE. Within the first 48 hours, the LinkedIn posts alone racked up half a million views. The business cards were also available to be given to Israeli visitors and businesspeople during meetings in the UAE.
List the results (30% of vote)
This small corporate gesture had a huge commercial and emotional impact. The ADIO leadership members who posted the Hebrew Business Cards online received thousands of congratulatory and supportive messages. They also received half a million views within 48 hours, over 1500 new contact requests from the Israeli business community, and an increase in weekly new business leads of more than 180%. The campaign was so successful, LinkedIn mistakenly thought it could only be the work of automated bots, and temporarily banned their LinkedIn accounts. In other words, this single LinkedIn posts had more success on LinkedIn than even LinkedIn itself thought was possible.