2020/2021 Winners & Shortlists

ARABLISH

BrandEMIRATES NATIONAL OIL COMPANY GROUP
Product/ServiceZOOM CONVENIENCE-STORE
EntrantC2 COMMUNICATIONS Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
CategorySingle Market Campaign
Idea Creation C2 COMMUNICATIONS Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Why is this work relevant for Brand Experience & Activation?

The work interacts with the customer at a personal level to address a social problem. On top of serving as a communication piece, it is also a functional tool that allows for interaction and increased engagement. It proceeds to activate the brand in the people’s minds by allowing them to experience the brand first-hand.

Background

Arabic is one of the top 5 languages spoken in the world. But, only an estimated 25-30% of residents in the UAE have grasped the language. Because English is the lingua franca on the streets, many don't get the practice they need to pick up Arabic. Also, Native Emiratis only make up 18-20% of the UAE's population, so many expats don't get the chance to interact with the locals to learn the Arabic language. For 'World Arabic Language Day' the requirement was to create a social post to drive engagement. The brief was taken beyond the social space to create a physical movement. The key objective was to make the Arabic language easily accessible in a quick, simple, cost-effective manner by: making the learning of Arabic more widespread; infuse the experience into day-to-day activities; create opportunities for interaction so that more of the local culture can be appreciated.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

The easiest way to learn a language is by using common, everyday words. As such, everyday items were labelled with Arabic words and written in English to allow the user to become familiar with the language. As the vocabulary increases, one would be able to string simple sentences, allowing them to be on their way to speak and appreciate the Arabic language better.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

The population of the UAE is around 9.99 Million. The majority of the UAE is made up of expats, and this diversity has led to English being the preferred language of communication. Physical and online Arabic classes are widely available, but many expats cite the lack of time and busy lifestyle as reasons for not learning the language. Around 81% of expats have never taken Arabic courses or instruction of any kind, and 38% believe that Arabic is too difficult to be learned properly. Also, the opportunities for expats to experience the Arabic language are insufficient in real-life situations, so they are rarely required to use Arabic for everyday communication. The approach was to make 'Arablish' easily accessible. Anyone who shopped at a ZOOM convenience-store had an opportunity to learn the language on-the-go.

Describe the execution (30% of vote)

To negate the perception that Arabic is a difficult language to learn, all key ZOOM convenience-stores across Dubai featured 'Arablish' wobblers on daily-picked products. This was supported by other collaterals within the store environment. In addition to this, communication on social platforms constantly drove traffic and reminded people how simple it can be to learn the Arabic language. In the coming months, 'Arablish' will see itself more out of the store and feature in public spaces, including the EXPO 2020 site, where ENOC, the parent company is one of the main sponsors. Thus, increasing its footprint so that more people will be able to learn Arabic anywhere, anytime.

List the results (30% of vote)

• Implemented across ZOOM with a footprint of 235 stores • Approx. 24,822 walk-ins per store, per day • Sparking long-term behavioural change • Extension into public spaces in the next phase which includes EXPO 2020 site, where ENOC, the parent company is one of the main sponsors

Please tell us how you designed / adapted your campaign for the single country / region / market where it aired.

The campaign was launched in line with 2020's 'World Arabic Language Day' celebrations. Arabic is the official language of the UAE. But, the diverse expatriate population in the country has led to English being the preferred language of communication. 'Arablish' was launched to make the Arabic language more accessible to all, in an attempt to break the language barrier and reduce the cultural divide.

Credits

Name Company Role
Leslie Paul C2 Communications Executive Creative Director
Tameem Sankari C2 Communications Art Director
Reva Ananda C2 Communications Copywriter
Emad Edroos C2 Communications Copywriter
Mai Al Khaldi C2 Communications Arabic Copywriter
Manasvini Rizvi C2 Communications Account Director
Sanjana Sadeesh C2 Native Social and Digital Executive
Leticia Mhawej C2 Communications Account Executive
Lindo Thomas C2 Communications Studio
Sandip Shivtarkar Feel Productions Head of Production
Reprotronic LLC Reprotronic Production