“As brand managers, we learn that our customers crave authenticity, engagement, community – humanness. We try to understand what these BIG words mean. We push them into our communications, but that isn’t enough. We needed to show up for people in a way that they wanted us to,” Sanaya Zubairy, Senior Digital Marketing Lead at Zurich (Zurich Insurance Group), told Campaign Middle East in an exclusive interview.
We don’t normally begin a story with a quote, but the one above perfectly summed up why Zurich International Life, part of Zurich, decided to launch a first-of-its-kind “Blue Sofa” campaign in partnership with Brand Box, Home Screen Entertainment, and Brand New Galaxy.
The campaign saw media personalities such as Khalid Al Ameri and Priti Malik spark conversations about UAE residents’ dreams and aspirations – for themselves and for their loved ones – on a cosy blue sofa, which travelled around the UAE.
In addition to getting people to talk about their dreams, the campaign also showed people how to protect these dreams by highlighting the importance of financial planning. It provided a platform for individuals to take actionable steps toward securing their futures.
Strategy behind the success
The idea behind the Blue Sofa campaign was simple. The travelling sofa offered people an opportunity to sit comfortably in a ‘safe space’ to answer two key questions:
- What are your dreams for yourself?
- What are your dreams for your loved ones?
“Why these questions?” we asked.
Zurich’s Sanaya Zubairy answered, “Because the answers to these make you think about the need for putting a plan in place to make your dreams come true. That is all we wanted with the Blue Sofa: to connect with our customers at a deeper level and, in turn, inspire them to understand what we stand for – and that is to take small optimistic steps so that they can be financially prepared to face life’s uncertainties.”
The campaign took into consideration not only where to place the sofa across the UAE, but also who should sit on it, and how to amplify the message of those who sat on it.
“The initiative needed someone who could connect with people instantly, who imbibed the diverse richness and the values of this country – and the first person who came to our minds was Khalid Al Ameri,” Zubairy said.
“He understood our story immediately and loved the idea. The minute he took over the Blue Sofa, his energy combined with the energy of the people was absolutely phenomenal.”
The second host was Virgin Radio’s Priti Malik.
“She had a unique way of getting people to open up about what they’re passionate about,” Zubairy added.
Bringing the Zurich Blue Sofa strategy to life
The Blue Sofa’s first lap around the UAE was at the Dubai Festival City Mall on a Saturday before the summer break, the second at Deira City Center, and for its third returned to Dubai Festival City Mall, before taking a pit stop at Nakheel Mall on the Palm. W
“We have plans to take the Blue Sofa on the road, to the desert, the beach and more as soon we hit the cooler months,” Zubairy revealed to Campaign Middle East.
The initiative was very well received. Crowds lined up to talk to Khaled AlAmeri and Priti Malik on the Blue Sofa about their dreams and aspirations.
The top takeaway?
“We realised that the people of the UAE don’t dream for themselves, but for the ones they love. They want to give back to the community,” Zubairy said.
During the campaign, an 11-year-old boy shared that he wanted to become a scientist to find a cure for his sister who had cancer; a husband said that he wanted to open a bakery for his wife to help her pursue her passion; and then a delivery boy shared his dream to have a house built for his mother.
“It’s so heartwarming to witness the stories shared by people joining us on the Blue Sofa. It’s been magical to see how selfless the community is in their aspirations for themselves and their loved ones,” Zubairy said.
Results of the campaign
Since the launch, over 200 people have sat down on the Blue Sofa and had conversations about their dreams for the future, videos of which have received over 2.5 million views already.
“The initiative is fostering a community-focused approach to educating the region about the need for financial education; as a result, traffic to Zurich’s Middle East website has doubled in the last month. The overwhelming response and engagement highlight the community’s interest in financial planning and the value of the initiative,” Zubairy said.
Zurich has also witnessed a 29 per cent increase in our digital community since the Blue Sofa journey began.
“We have seen strong quantitative and qualitative results, including upward trends on our unprompted and prompted brand awareness and a move up in our consideration rankings.As a brand, we feel so proud to be able to create a shared identity, build that emotional connect with people and celebrate what brings us together as a community,” Zubairy said.
The Blue Sofa will continue its journey across the UAE, making stops at various locations with more well-known personalities facilitating these meaningful conversations.
“Trust is everything. What matters most is for our customers to be able to be able to trust us to be there when the going gets tough,” Zubairy concluded.
Click here to read about the impact of more such campaigns across the Middle East region.
