2020/2021 Winners & Shortlists

Why is this work relevant for Media?

After the revolution, Egyptians suffered from lack of identity and no sense of belonging, knowing that things will not change. Being the oldest bank in Egypt, Banque Misr stood there like the pyramids with no emotional link with the people. The bank wanted to bond with every Egyptian, communicating its strongest value being 100% Egyptian though out 100 years So instead of doing just another ad we changed the strategy using another channel of communication by creating a song that was beyond advertising it was sung organically in every celebration of success live like an anthem for hope and patriotism

Background

The Situation After the revolution things hasn’t changed Egyptians suffered from lack of identity and no sense of belonging knowing that things will not change. Negative consequences like immigration and looking for an alternative nationality. The brief Being the oldest bank in Egypt Banque Misr stood there just like the pyramids with no emotional link between the bank and people. Some important facts about the bank were the first bank in Egyptian history, created with Egyptian money and it was a 100 years old Objective/challenge: Reaching out for the new generation with the bank values “being 100 Egyptian” Reinforce the brand as a Love Mark brand

Describe the creative idea / insights (30% of vote)

Being the oldest bank in Egypt & the first bank in that was created totally with pure Egyptian money regardless the power of the English colonialism at that time, Banque Misr stands as tall landmark of Egyptian willpower, resilience and undependability. It is like a real landmark that stood beside & not less than the iconic pyramids. So accordingly being part of this very rich and nurtured heritage, Banque Misr inspire the widest Egyptians base, Motivating, Encouraging & reviving their true characteristics which reflects the way the bank deals. This was the trigger to the concept, that this bank is “the son of Egypt “ A song was created with the golden verse “I’m the Son of Egypt …. I’m unbreakable” Nothing resonated with Egyptians more than music, so we chose the only medium that spoke to the hearts of Egyptians and tuned these inspiring verses into a SONG

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

Banque Misr was talking to the entire Egyptian society with all its social economic class from the millionaire to the simplest guy in the street. From the people that live in the capital to the people living in the smallest town. From the young age group that still aren’t eligible for opening their own accounts to the elders withdrawing their pensions is their only relation with the bank. This was a challenge to communicate to everyone at the same time so we decided to make use of Ramadan which is our superbowl. It is the month that each single person must be watching something either on TV or even on the social media . We aired massively for a month starting 6May with 1795 spots on 14 highest viewership channels & supported this with existence on our social media platforms Youtube, Facebook, Instagram. Also publishing the song on Anghami

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

The Song was written, carefully crafted portraying how hope & fighting back can do miracles. "I’m the Son of Egypt I’m unbreakable I have self confidence and immunity against depression" Sung by three celebrity singers, representing different generations, singing sensations and social backgrounds to reach everyone. Videoclip having a fresh inspiring visual of contextual and contemporary Egyptians, giving a new angle to their daily life, adding hope in their actions such as Street crossing, bulling fighting back, defying a wheel chair and playing football, etc. The hope element was added in a simple 2D graphic showing how easy it is to start thinking positive in your mind, heart & transforming it to reality. The process took 1 month prior Ramadan season. TV, launch on 6-May-19 until 3-June, total placement 1795 spots on 14 channels Digital mainly YouTube, Facebook, Instagram & Anghami

List the results (30% of vote)

The song reached 10 million views in less than a month It scored #1 on music charts in Egypt and in other countries Hundreds of organic videos were done by people using the song , 65 thousand Egyptian football fans suddenly they started to sing the song like an anthem Children with special needs sang it in concerts ,the song was translated in deaf and mute language. The outstanding number of times it was played youtube 18M and shared like no other on social media 20K, instagram 2.8M views and Anghami top lists with 4.1M. It came from the people to the people The Son of Egypt …. The voice of Egyptians Banque Misr overall financial position increased to 968 billion EGP as at 30/6/2019, at a growth rate of approximately 9.5%. It retail portfolio recorded 37.8 billion EGP at a growth rate of 40.5%.