Last month, Jordan’s streets were filled with quirky outdoor adverts featuring three distinct characters showing the face of an aged person and a body of a young one. The three visuals were supported with headlines that gave each character a name, and a very confusing age that was in no way reflective of the face, the gray hair or the wrinkles.
Supported through social and digital channels (Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok), the campaign rolled out a video of a loading sign that keeps loading, and viewers across different platforms could only see content “trying to load” – or so the intend was. The same video was also picked by several influencers who shared it as stories.
Needless to say this video got people puzzled as to whether their internet is down, there is a glitch in their phone, or whether the influencer shared the content by mistake, which created high share of voice around these teasers.
A page called “Shayyabet?” (in Arabic: are you aging?) was also launched to further support in spreading the teaser content, without making any association to any brand yet.
Following a week of anticipation, the reveal films finally got aired bringing the brand's message to life. Based on a popular Jordanian saying that goes like this-- "it's giving me gray hair"--for all things frustrating, the films highlight the lousiness of the telecom network and the continuous frustration it's provoking amid users. The films build on that insight by exaggerating the loading time, the interruption time, and the waiting time. In waiting mode, the same characters seen on billboards, social and digital age, appear while one is waiting for the content to load.
The second phase of the campaign is inspired from the same insight, yet tackles it from a different perspective, pushing the target audience to opt for the easier, more convenient internet solution. So rather than investing time and money into anti-aging products, Zain Fiber--the high-speed internet service-- comes in as the more sustainable solution.
"At a time where the whole world is fixated on the Covid-19 virus, and constantly on the lookout for the most recent updates, research has shown that the younger generations want to hear less from brands about Covid-19 messaging, and more of ‘normal’ messaging, says Shantal Abu Sharar, Director of Marketing Communications, Zain Jordan. "People are indeed fatigued by what is felt like relentless negative news. There is a decline in interest towards communications that are overly serious. A survey by Magid highlights that Gen Z have shifted their desire for “stoic concern” in favour of content that makes them laugh," Abu Sharar adds.
Consumers today do crave humour and levity, and this light-hearted campaign intended to do just that while also remaining relevant with the target audience it was addressing.
Laith Faraj, Client Servicing and Strategy Director, Adpro Communications explains: "In today’s day and age, we cannot tackle every brief as a short term project but instead have to consider the long term vision and the campaign platform we want to sell and activate. In essence, pinning the right insight does not necessarily mean uncovering human behavior or what will truly create impact. This campaign's power lies in transforming a global saying, statement, and insight into a localized campaign platform that is truly geared to local situations, which the target can relate to and assimilate with. Every insight can be tackled and developed in a multitude of directions. Yet, the true measure of an agency's strategic capabilities is their ability to read the market and understand consumers' behavior and gear that piece of insight it into what people can resonate with; a piece of work that can disrupt the market and break through the noise yet be fluid enough to work cross-platform and across mediums."
This campaign and the strategy was indeed devised to trigger an emotion of relevance, while remaining entertaining rather than overly promotional. It surely succeeded in doing so with situations they can understand and relate to, making the brand closer to the people, through communications that is smart and witty. And through the right dose of humor, which certainly helps improve brand recognition, this campaign stands out from the norm of communicating internet connectivity in this part of the world. With around 70% of the population under the age of 35, it was the natural direction to steer in.
The campaign was conceptualized and created by Amman-based Adpro Communications for Zain Jordan and produced by Good People Films in Beirut. It is worth mentioning that the production of these films took place a very short while after the Beirut blast, and goes to show the resilience of the Lebanese people. Unhindered, unstoppable.
CREDITS:
Creative Agency: Adpro Communications
Media Agency: Adpro OMD
Client: Zain Jordan
Production House: Good People Films
Creative Director: Rami Qaddoumi
Creative Director: Tarek Khoury
Senior Art Director: Mohammed Raquban
Senior Copywriter: Ammar Al-Omari
Motion Graphics Designer: Anas Makkawi
Client Servicing and Strategy Director: Laith Al-Faraj
Account Director: Ahmad Al-Dada
Account Manager: Rizek Jildeh
Account Executive: Haya Naber
Director of Marketing Communications: Shantal Abu Sharar
Marketing Manager: Azzam Abu Hanieh
Head of Production: Sarah Touma
Producer: Chantal El Haber
Director: Samir Siryani
Director of Photography: Pierre Mouarkech
