2020/2021 Winners & Shortlists

RAMADAN AROUND THE WORLD

BrandEXPO 2020 SCHOOL PROGRAMME
Product/ServiceEXPO 2020 SCHOOL PROGRAMME
EntrantNETIZENCY Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
CategoryUse of Social & Digital Platforms
Idea Creation NETIZENCY Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Media Placement STARCOM Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Why is this work relevant for Brand Experience & Activation?

With travel on hold, outings forbidden and most activities coming to a standstill during Ramadan, we wanted to make sure the spirit of the Holy Month stayed alive. We wanted to fill the social gaps that COVID-19 had created. Virtual was the way to go for us to be able to connect with students for Expo 2020 School Programme. So we took our audience on a virtual trip around the world to explore Ramadan traditions – a journey they had a say in as they picked the destinations we went to - and we gave them fun DIY

Background

COVID 19 forced the world to stop. Schools closed, gatherings were forbidden, activities were cancelled, and travelling wasn’t possible. All of this took a toll on the excitement and the anticipation for the holy month of Ramadan. With Ramadan traditionally being a month of connections and gathering with family and loved ones, we needed to find a way to live up to the Ramadan spirit despite the limitations that came with the pandemic. And most importantly we wanted to encourage our audience to stay home and stay safe. With so many restrictions in place, and with our team’s inability to physically live up to Expo 2020 Dubai’s vision of bringing the world together in one place, we had to find a virtual alternative.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

While the world was at a standstill, we took to social media to bring Ramadan to life. Our campaign took our core audience of students on a virtual tour around the world to celebrate unique Ramadan traditions from different countries. They learned about KSA’s crunchy sambusa (savoury pastry), UAE’s lougaimat (sweet dough balls) and Egypt’s famous fawanees (lanterns). We even celebrated Girgian (mid-Ramadan tradition) in Kuwait and explored Jordan’s iconic qatayef (sweet pastry) before ending our journey in India to create colourful bangles just in time for Eid. Our audience had a say as to which country we would visit next via Instagram story votes, and with each episode came a DIY video that encouraged them to fully immerse themselves into the traditions of the Holy Month.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

We looked at what students aged 13-18 years old were doing online, and we found that social media is where they were spending most of their free time. Secondly, we looked at what content they were consuming online. And we noticed that they were looking for content that helped them escape and content that helped them acquire new skills. Most of their searches revolved around things like “DIY” and “Things to do during lockdown”, “Baking” and “Travel & Staycations”. So building on that, our social-driven “Ramadan around the world” campaign was born, leveraging Ramadan insights derived from each country’s unique traditions.

Describe the execution (30% of vote)

Our “Ramadan Around The World” campaign consisted of a series of short episodes that aired on our social platforms during Ramadan where our Expo 2020 School Programme mascots Rashid and Latifa explored unique Ramadan traditions in different countries. The journey started in the UAE then Egypt, Kuwait, KSA and finally India. We made it a key priority to sustain engagement throughout the month, so after each episode we asked our audience where they wanted to go next using Instagram story polls making them key decision makers in how the journey unfolded. We also added a DIY video linked to each episode, allowing our followers to get creative and to be fully immersed in the Ramadan traditions. As our journey to celebrate Ramadan traditions around the world ended, Rashid and Latifa decorated their home with all the elements they gathered along their journey just as the students could do

List the results (30% of vote)

Our campaign generated a lot of buzz. Schools across the UAE shared their submissions of their student’s DIY projects and traffic on our social media pages saw a massive boost in results. In the month of Ramadan, we generated with over 4.1 million impressions, a unique reach of over 1 million, 158,000 video views and 2,500 engagements in the UAE alone! All in all, our mission to keep the spirit of Ramadan alive, despite all the limitations we faced, was a success.

Credits

Name Company Role
Tamara Habib Netizency Director
Lana Bilani Netizency Social Media Manager
Mher Krikorian Netizency Head of Content
Merill Sammour Netizency Social Media Executive
Elise Maalouf Netizency Lead Animator
Links
Social Media URL