The Campaign

2013 saw Bangladesh at the brink of a civil war, caused by residual societal, religious and political conflicts from its 1971 Independence war with Pakistan. Common citizens across the nation saw no hope on the horizon despite believing in unification and the possibility of great things through it. Robi, a major telecommunications company has the brand idea “ignite the power within”. Robi sought to promote unity through its ultimate manifestation – the national flag. The objective was to beat Pakistan’s existing world record for the largest human flag on Bangladesh’s Liberation War Victory Day, 16th of December. Robi launched a new campaign idea “When people unite, Bangladesh shines”. 9-days of intensive advertising promoted participation and awareness. On 16th December 2013, Robi gathered 27,117 participants to create the Guinness World Record for the largest human flag. Robi’s ROI strategy was based on the delivery of massive returns through unpaid media. Central to this strategy was the formation of strategic alliances with Bangladesh’s Army, TV, radio, newspaper, and 20 national celebrities. Unpaid media returns were unprecedented: • The most watched event in Bangladesh history • Live coverage from 20 out of 23 TV Stations • Featured on the front page of every national newspaper. • Social media erupted with record-breaking engagement. The core reason this was a PR success was because media, netizens and people were able to participate like never before. Robi did not just give people a reason to do something but enabled them to do it.

The Brief

Goal: Unite the people of Bangladesh and thus, build an emotional affinity towards Robi. The objectives were: 1. Break Pakistan’s flag world record 2. Generate talkability and improve PR 3. Monetize the event Target audience: 70% of Bangladesh’s population unfamiliar with Robi, including competitor SIM users who lacked reason to trial Robi despite high consideration. The success criteria were set by benchmarking against Bangladesh’s previous largest ever brand activation which delivered live coverage to 6 channels, 4 newspapers, and some Bangladeshi social media.

Results

The event was covered by national and regional newspapers and live on 20/23 TV channels making it the most watched event in the history of Bangladesh media. People responded with a heartfelt thank you. Objective 1: Break Pakistan’s Guinness World Record Checked on January 2014. Objective 2: Generate talkability and improve PR 98% spontaneous recall across the nation was that Robi was behind this event. 82% respondents considered Robi to be very trustworthy. The official human flag picture broke all Bangladesh social media records with its reach and share. Objective 3: Monetize the event The event cost USD 1 million and generated nearly USD 6 million in unpaid media coverage. There was a positive spill-over effect on 3 significant brand promotions that followed the event. 2 of 3 competitor SIM users considered buying a Robi SIM in the near future. Static SIM sales increased by 48% from the previous quarter.

Execution

Bangladesh’s situation made difficult any consistency or implementation of any plans. The only certainty was that a historic event would take place on 16th December. • A strategic alliance with the Army was formed. • A press conference held soon after had a minimum turn up of media. The media team faced this lack of response with a renewed spirit, determined to bring in the media they targeted. Eventually, the team acquired a few more media representatives. • Participants were welcomed from schools, the general public and the armed forces. • By rehearsal day, 8 TV channels and 6 newspapers showed up creating huge PR. • Print, outdoor, electronic and social media were all simultaneously bombarded with the event’s message. • On 16th December, the flag was formed successfully, watched live on TV by the entire nation and covered by every national and regional newspaper.

The Situation

Robi is a major telecommunications company in Bangladesh hailing the brand idea “ignite the power within”. Although Robi enjoys a strong hold of 30% of Bangladesh’s population familiar with the brand; the remaining 70% lacks sufficient emotional connection. In 2013, Bangladesh’s violent and volatile situation caused huge business losses. The entire nation sought unity so they could carry on with their lives securely. Robi identified an opportunity: If they could help inspire the nation to unite, then they could gain goodwill from much of the population.

The Strategy

The PR strategy was multifold and implemented via various mediums. A strategic partnership was formed with the Army ensuring credibility and security for the people. Media partnerships were created with the leading TV channel, radio station and newspaper. The media team’s expertise managed 6 channels to cover the event live and 4 newspapers to feature the news but a surprising 20 channels and all of the nation’s newspapers responded. A music anthem with Bangladesh’s 10 top music superstars, entitled “Raise the flag”, was created as a call to the masses to be a part of the event. To further generate interest, twenty 10 second promo ads featuring prominent celebrities, radio representation and outdoor advertising was implemented. SMSs were sent directly inviting people to the event. Social media was used as a tool to make it a topic of interest and engagement, especially amongst youth.