FMCG giant Unilever has revealed an integrated, omnichannel campaign that offers a platform for its consumers and shoppers to showcase their solidarity and gratitude to the UAE, its leaders, its armed forces, police and civil defense, healthcare workers, mall and retail staff, delivery drivers, public transport workers, among many others for keeping the nation safe, secure and functioning well despite ongoing geopolitical tensions in the region.
Following the outbreak of geopolitical hostilities towards the end of February, Unilever’s UAE team quickly noticed a shift in shopping habits, with more people working from home and remote schooling meaning that local markets and online portals were the preferred place to shop. Sentiment was also shifting, with the UAE’s residents sharing their feelings of solidarity online.
After ensuring the safety of their sales teams, Unilever’s executive team asked themselves what they could do to take these insights and create a purpose-led platform to support national efforts to support the public and recognise those people who were keeping daily life running and people safe through this difficult period.
Within four days, the United for UAE campaign was born. Unilever created a means by which consumers could come together to show gratitude for those working to keep them safe and to promote the work of front-line staff.
View this post on Instagram
Four of the country’s largest retailers – Carrefour, LuLu, Union Coop, and ADCOOP – signed up to bring the execution into their stores while Careem distributed thank you ‘care’ trial kits with grocery orders that included soap, dishwashing liquid, cream and instant soup products.
The campaign was omnichannel, with in- store activations at key malls and community outlets, with takeovers on each retailer’s digital platforms and integration for quick commerce.
The campaign ran during Eid, and the concept was so successful that retailers asked to extend its duration and expanded the idea into more stores than were initially planned for.
Within the stores, shoppers could engage through a series of activations: they had the chance to thank a selection of heroes, from delivery riders, mall and retail staff to healthcare workers, airport and transport teams, and the armed forces and civil defence workers.
Shoppers could spin the hero wheel to that a particular group, they could also write a personal message of thanks which they would then pin to a wall, and in turn would be thanked with a freebie product.
The cut-through of the campaign are there for all to see in the numbers. More than 150 thousand shoppers were engaged, with a reach of 3.5 million people, and 70 percent business weight.
View this post on Instagram
Authorities also supported the campaign, with Unilever and its retailers receiving activation approvals in record time and at no cost.
By bringing the community together and sharing a purpose platform for people to showcase their appreciation for the people working to keep them safe and sound, Unilever was part of a wider societal movement.
CREDITS:
Client: Unilever
Creative: In-house by Unilever team, in collaboration with NexGen agency
Deployment: AMS agency
