2022 Winners & Shortlists

HOW TO GROW RICH DURING THE PANDEMIC

BrandEMIRATES NBD
Product/ServicePUBLIC SERVICE AWARENESS
EntrantLEO BURNETT Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Idea Creation LEO BURNETT Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Media Placement INITIATIVE MENA Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
PR ASDA'A BCW Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Production DEJAVU Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Why is this work relevant for Integrated?

The campaign began with the creation of an Instagram account but over the course of a year grew in ambition and reach. It went on to engage with audiences through films on social media platforms, TV channels, through books, a podcast, an Augmented Reality filter, live game shows, customized content, a special website, billboards and more.

Background

In 2020-21, UAE didn’t just face the Covid-19 pandemic, it also grappled with a cyber pandemic. As life moved online, scammers took advantage of this increased digital adoption. From airline refunds to charitable donations to online shopping to crypto investment platforms to vaccine providers; fraudsters created numerous new phishing scams to attack people when and where they are most vulnerable. Consequently, phishing attacks in UAE increased by a whopping 250%, with 600,000 attacks reported in Q2 alone. To cope with the growing incidence of fraudulent activity, government bodies had launched multiple fraud awareness campaign to educate and protect consumers. However, these conventional campaigns just weren’t cutting through the clutter of entertaining content out there and were failing to grab people’s attention. As UAE’s leading bank, Emirates NBD decided to take a stand against scam. But just another PSA campaign wouldn’t suffice. We needed to entertain in order to educate!

Describe the creative idea

We created a fictional character, James Jefferson, a mysteriously wealthy man who led a lavish life. As James Jefferson’s story unfolded across multiple touchpoints, so did the campaign. On his Instagram, he gained followers by claiming to have written a book titled ‘How to Grow Rich During the Pandemic’ that will make anyone as rich as him. But just as his followers were looking forward to the book launch, we revealed how he made money by assuming fake identities and tricking people. We turned his fraud tricks into anti-fraud learnings. His book into a handy anti-fraud guide. His confession into Fraudster Answers Questions. His tactics into an Insta Live game show and an AR filter. His podcast into cautionary lectures. His website into an awareness hub. We taught people how to spot fraud so that they could stop fraud.

Describe the strategy

The online world is second nature to most people. And due to lockdowns, they were even more reliant on it – whether to maintain contact with friends and family, work from home, or for online shopping. And fraudsters picked up on this. They adopted sophisticated scamming techniques, mimicking this evolving consumer behavior. From fraudulent emails offering government support to those impacted by the pandemic, to scam messages requesting payments for Covid-19 vaccine appointments, to impersonating delivery companies to exploit the rise in online shopping. Their cleverly masked tactics made them impossible to catch by even the most discerning of people. We needed to remind people that it doesn’t take much for a fraudster to fool us. With that thinking in mind, Emirates NBD turned the dry topic of fraud into an entertaining campaign that taught people how to commit fraud so that they could learn how to avoid it.

Describe the execution

The campaign was launched on Feb 13, 2021 and is still ongoing. In the past year, the campaign has evolved to cover hero content, a paperback and ebook, a podcast, an interactive game show, an AR filter, a website.

List the results

The campaign ignited nationwide virality, with 12,293,800 people actively engaging with the campaign. The efforts were organically picked up and shared by prominent media outlets, driving a total earned media value of $2,184,648. Additionally, the campaign had tangible long-term business impact driving a 3.6% uptick in brand recall.

Credits

Name Company Role
Kalpesh Patankar Leo Burnett Dubai Chief Creative Officer
Rafael Augusto Leo Burnett Dubai Creative Direction, Concept, Art Direction
Farhan Siddiqui Leo Burnett Dubai Concept, Script & Copywriting
Aditi Shah Leo Burnett Dubai Concept, Art Direction
Shadi Kermasho Leo Burnett Dubai Head Of Arabic
Haytham Lamah Leo Burnett Dubai Arabic Copywriting
Mohamed Bareche Publicis Communications Creative PR & Support
Pooja Beri Leo Burnett Dubai Strategy
Lama Mosallem Leo Burnett Dubai Planning
Shereen Mustafa Leo Burnett Dubai Head of Production
Judy Lamaa Leo Burnett Dubai Producer
Dan Newton Leo Burnett Social Media Editing
Samer Shoueiry Publicis Communications CDO & CEO
Joelle Jammal Leo Burnett Dubai Deputy Managing Director
Sonal Chaddha Leo Burnett Dubai Client Servicing
Soraya Jomaa Leo Burnett Dubai Client Servicing
Vikram Krishna Emirates NBD Client
Moadh Bukhash Emirates NBD Client
Mai Cheblak Emirates NBD Client
Wajd Al Hashmi Emirates NBD Client
Nalle Sjöblad Deja Vu Film Director
Pasi Pauni Deja Vu Director of Photography
Manasvi Gosalia Deja Vu Executive Producer
Steve Gergess Deja Vu Film Production
Kaan Acemi Deja Vu Film Production
Ogan Kockan Deja Vu Film Production
Mary bou Akl Deja Vu Film Post Production
Arzu Kadak Deja Vu Film Production Designer
Cem Ece Deja Vu Film Production Designer
Secilay Dogan Deja Vu Film Production Wardrobe Stylist
Kharmel Cochrane Deja Vu Film Casting
Tugce Sagmanlı Deja Vu Film Casting
Akseli Soini Deja Vu Film Music & Sound Design Composition
Johannes Salonen Deja Vu Film Editing
Rizwan Maple Deja Vu Film Editing
Petri Falkenberg Deja Vu Color Grading
Grade One Helsinki Deja Vu Color Grading
Pradosh Chandran Deja Vu Online & Retouching
Kevin Vincent Deja Vu Online & Retouching
Shutterstock Images Shutterstock.com Images for social
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