The Challenge:

The Global Refugee Agency, a client, orchestrates an international campaign during Ramadan to elicit engagement from the public and raise funds for the cause of refugees. This year, the Ramadan fundraising initiative coincided with the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The campaign urged individuals to empathize with the plight of refugees by envisioning themselves in their circumstances and displaying support during the sacred month of Ramadan.

The difficulties were two-fold:

1. The challenge of accessing intended audiences due to lockdowns, which hindered our ability to target locations where significant gatherings typically occurred, particularly during the pandemic.
2. The sudden surge of fundraising endeavors by other non-governmental organizations (NGOs), with local charities being particularly prominent.

The Strategy:

1. ‘Fusion of Traditional and Modern’ Targeting Approach: By amalgamating current insights into audience behavior, prevailing social trends, and prior Ramadan campaign data, a targeting approach was formulated to engage a particular audience.

2. Embedding Local Elements into the Campaign: To motivate the public and encourage participation, local nuances were woven into the global fundraising campaign. The intention was to evoke emotional responses and encourage contributions within different communities.

The Implementation:

1. Leveraging Knowledge of Past and Current Donors: OttawaDigitalBiz extracted data from previous audiences, including those observed at schools prior to the pandemic, along with users of prominent religious applications. Similar audiences were then generated based on these insights. Additionally, audience segments were crafted from current data, focusing on interests and affiliations related to the holy month, such as Zakat, Islam, and Ramadan. The execution was timed to align with peaks in audience engagement.

2. Capturing Attention through Local Influencers for Donations: The team identified a surge in discussions about Ramadan among influencers through social listening. This provided an opportunity to utilize the influence of influencers, with messaging that aimed to bridge the gap between the refugee cause and the audience through compelling narratives.

3. Narrative Development via Local Channels: The central creative motif was “Imagine” — encouraging individuals to envision scenarios like a country without inhabitants, a mosque without prayers, and an Iftar without gatherings. Collaborations were established with local channels possessing considerable influence and cultural insight. Content pieces were created and amplified through these channels’ social platforms.

The Outcomes:

1. Donations surpassed the target by 37%.
2. Cost per Acquisition decreased by 273%.
3. An impressive 68% increase in Return on Investment (ROI), exceeding the target by 2.5 times.
4. The influencers’ community exhibited 87% positive sentiments towards the campaign.