As a brand seeking to be locally relevant:
1) Knorr transformed the standard model of food donations into a sustainable model for food growth and empowerment, creating a new media platform for its brand.
2) Knorr did so by transforming the dry and arid landscapes in Egypt, into lush and colourful farms on rooftops, creating a new media channel for its brand.
3) And achieved success through activating a relevant transmedia connections plan that got Egypt engaged and even reached the President.
Background
With the never-ending economic crisis in Egypt, there’s a heightened sense of social responsibility among Egyptians. They have become more inclined to choosing brands that have an impact on the community and are socially responsible.
And so, in an extremely cluttered market where consumers are bombarded with a barrage of offers, messages and promises from food brands, Knorr, a food solution brand from Unilever, was aiming to earn its role in the Egyptian homes by increasing its relevance to the Egyptian community, establishing itself as a brand that was socially responsible too.
Now, for years, Knorr in Egypt, has been tackling the issue of hunger through various food donation initiatives. Yet, no one paid heed to what Knorr was doing beyond those receiving the food donations. It was time, for Knorr, to transform the way it made an impact in Egypt.
Describe the creative idea / insights (30% of vote)
Through Knorr's Rooftop Farms, we converted concrete and sand buildings with no place to grow food, into green and flourishing rooftops with farms to grow food.
The idea transformed the lives of the underprivileged in Egypt’s cities by creating a new transformational business model for Knorr that was sustainable and profitable for the underprivileged, and in turn, we also transformed the dry and arid landscape of Egypt’s cities into lush rooftop farms full of vegetables.
Describe the strategy (20% of vote)
Owing to the economic crisis' debilitating impact, poverty across Egypt hit a new high resulting in a hunger crisis affecting millions of men and women, leaving them in dire need for food and income to provide for their families’ most basic human needs.
Unfortunately, just like Knorr’s and other organizations’ donation drives, the underprivileged are always at the mercy of if, when and how much donors are willing donate, leaving them in a constant state of insecurity, instability and hunger.
How could Knorr transform the model of donations in Egypt to transform their lives, for good?
Instead of “Knorr is donating to Egyptians”, we wanted people to think: “Knorr is solving for Egyptians.”
And we built our approach based on the insight of: "If you give someone a fish, you feed that person for a day. But, if you teach someone to fish, you feed that person for a lifetime."
Describe the execution (20% of vote)
Working with German engineers and hydroponic technology, we created fully sustainable food-generating farms, placed across buildings in Egypt, operated by underprivileged farmers themselves.
All the food produced, was purchased by Knorr, giving the rooftop farmers a new sustainable source of income.
We promoted the rooftop farms through Outdoor Murals, Films, Social Media and PR.
Murals on buildings that houses the rooftop farms stood out like beacons of hope amidst the dry and arid landscapes in Egypt.
Facebook joined the cause through a Hack for Good and came up with ideas to further promote and support the rooftop farms as endorsing the campaign through added marketing and online reach of its own.
List the results (30% of vote)
Uncovering an interest in sustainable farming, it caught the attention of Egypt’s largest NGO, Misr El Kheir. Within a month, Misr El Kheir partnered with Knorr to scale it to a 100 more rooftops.
Leading news and media channels endorsed and propagated the idea giving Knorr free earned media worth $3.5 million.
With the word of mouth, endorsements and partnerships, this topic was discussed in the Egyptian parliament and with the signing of a Presidential Bill, the rooftop farms initiative from Knorr was transformed into a nation wide initiative of its own as part of Egypt’s sustainable development plan.
With +2.5% uplift in brand awareness, +23.1% in turnover vs. the year prior, and +19% growth in volumes vs. the year prior, Knorr in Egypt became the fastest growing food business and the 4th largest food business in Unilever’s portfolio, globally.
Please tell us about the brand in relation to the locality or market where the product / service is distributed
Knorr is a global brand, from Unilever, seeking to earn an even more meaningful role in Egypt and in the lives of Egyptians.
Egyptians prefer to associate with brands that are contributing to the country, especially in these hard times for the country.
Being a food solutions brand, Knorr needed to find a solution to the issue of hunger among the underprivileged segments of society, owing to the economic crisis across Egypt.
And in doing so, Knorr had the opportunity to win attention and affinity, that would then translate into brand and business growth.