The holy month of Ramadan is month full of joy, seeing family and friends, having mouths water as the food is placed on the table minutes before iftar. A part of the enjoyment we receive during the holy month is to see the joy and happiness around us, but not all of us are as fortunate to be able to see our beloved ones during this very special month.
This year, Vodafone has decided to focus more on corporate social responsibility for Ramadan 2017 with a campaign towards the blind. Vodafone visualizes, or more like doesn’t, the trials of the blind for this Ramadan.
The telecommunications giant has set the bar high right before the start of the holy month with a campaign to help provide eye sight back to those who would otherwise not be able to enjoy the world and the festivities around them. Surgical technologies and techniques for providing the blind the ability to see has only really been around since 2010, and is not very well known. According to the World Health Organization (Who), there are approximately 1 million blind Egyptians, and around 3 million who are visually impaired.
The ad is a distinct contrast from the usual colorful and fun ads that most companies use, although there are exceptions.
Vodafone is a part of ➤ Ramadan 2017’s most anticipated marketing campaigns
The Ad itself starts off silent, with a black screen and white text. The narrative moves forward, with family members coming and going, but the image stays the same. A black background is used, to symbolize what the blind see, darkness. It takes us through the journey that a visually impaired person goes through throughout a month filled with beautiful decorations, beloved family and friends, but all we have is the sound around us.
The ad ends with “Open your eyes. All of us feel Ramadan but not all of us can see it.” It is accompanied with the hashtag “First time joy” in Arabic. The ad has already received over 200k views within the first 2 hours of its launch on Facebook, and over 2.5k reactions. (The ad has currently reached over 1.5 million views in 15 hours and over 17k reactions.)
CSR’s popularity in Ramadan
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a popular method for marketers and organizations to use to ensure the image they create with the community around them is positive. It is also something many people have come to expect from large companies, to ensure companies and organizations take responsibility for the negative effects they may have on the local community as well as to use their profits to help those in need.
In Ramadan, these expectations increase to extreme levels with many consumers dropping brands in Ramadan if they feel they are not doing enough, or have not celebrated Ramadan well enough.
One of the main pillars of Ramadan is Charity, to give to those who are less fortunate than you are, making it one of the most popular campaign types to hit the Ramadan advertising and marketing market every year.
Also Read ➤ Making an impact; digital media strategies for Ramadan
CSR is an important tool for any organization, as it can help give off a positive brand and corporate image as well as giving back to the local community. Although it may seem easy for companies to simply say they will do something, social media and the internet makes it difficult to get away with just words. Actually working to help the local community will also provide companies with multiple opportunities to improve their products or services and engage stakeholders.
