Mindshare and Unilever awarded in Brand Awareness Category at MMA SMARTIES APAC 2015

Sunlight, Unilever and Mindshare Sri Lanka were recognised at the MMA SMARTIES APAC 2015 Awards with a Bronze in the Brand Awareness category for the ‘Sunlight Lights up my Nation’ campaign. The SMARTIES awards considered to be the Oscar Awards in mobile marketing as the only such global awards program for the industry. 

Mindshare, the flagship agency of GroupM, together with Unilever conceptualized the campaign for one of Sri Lanka’s most important religious holidays, Vesak. Many islanders mark the day by visiting the Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy, however, an even larger population are unable to make the trip due to time and travel constraints. With local telecommunications provider Dialog as the key partner, the campaign presented the opportunity for people around the island to take part in a mass observation of the day by having a lamp lit in their name at the temple. 

Taglined ‘Sunlight Lights Up My Nation’ the campaign reached millions of Sri Lankans across the island and around the world via television, radio, print and social media. A unique combination of Youtube pre-rolls, celebrity endorsements and social media dissemination ensured that the initiative reached approximately four million Sri Lankans (20% of the population). On Facebook, promoted posts saw the campaign picking up pace rapidly with poignant stories being shared via comments by people who were unable to visit the temple due to disability, injury or sickness. The campaign actively engaged the participation of 6% of Sri Lankans, with approximately 1.2 million missed calls left on a designated number for a lamp to be lit on behalf of the caller; this was a record number of calls made over a short period of five days. On Vesak day those callers could watch their lamps being lit via an official website, and the day’s proceedings received wide coverage by the media. 

“The catalyst for the success of the campaign was quick dissemination of the details via mobile communication,” said Jhumka Saha, Leader of Mindshare Sri Lanka. “Mobile is the most compelling, accurate and inclusive marketing practice today, and it’s a top priority when it comes to any advertising campaign.” 

The MMA Smarties Awards, popularly considered the Oscars of Mobile Marketing, highlights the efforts of teams that wield the potent impact of the mobile medium to reach and engage with consumers. Winners of the awards earn global recognition and their work stands amongst some of the top names in the international mobile marketing community. The awards are presented by the Mobile Marketing Association. 

“It’s a great honour to be recognised by MMA for this campaign which was very close to our hearts,” added Sabry Haniz, Chief Operating Officer, GroupM Sri Lanka “We’d like to thank our team members, alongside Unilever for being such visionary collaborators.”