Having built its legacy on a proven track record as a more traditional monster in logistics handling, DHL’s expertise as a courier service for sending packages from people to people has been lost on many. Particularly on today’s generation who are born in a virtually driven world. And they can’t be blamed. DHL’s previous communication efforts in the MENA region targeted B2B specifically, and their expertise, which are very much adept to serve consumers effectively, were not recognized by our target as anything more than catered for businesses. This very misperception, coupled with consumption and correspondence behaviors shifting to online, gave DHL an opportunity to reassess how their focus can include B2C communication in the MENA region. With an asset like Mohamed Salah, exposure and engagement wasn’t the challenge. It was how we would utilize his impact in a way that was both original and relevant to the brand’s role.

THE HUMAN NETWORK

Nothing really beats the feeling of receiving a package from a loved one. However, there is no question that digital and social media platforms have enabled our world’s connections to transcend place and time. That, while for the most part, increased interconnectedness is owed to these platforms, our lack of authentic connections is as well. And it’s become a hot topic of debate; is social media sabotaging the human touch? The short answer; yes. In a world where swiping right is synonymous with asking someone out, and birthday celebrations are reduced to a “story” on your page, it’s time for people to reassess their interactions.

DHL Express wanted to remind people that no matter how much you can interact with others on social networks, nothing can compare to the impact of real human connections; by disconnecting from the virtual and connecting them via “The Human Network”.

Our consumers belong to the ‘WE’ generation, a generation that strongly believe in the power of connectivity; Social media and the proliferation of tech have made ‘connecting’ as easy as a click of a button. Was that enough? In such a hyper-connected world, it’s equally as easy to feel like we’ve lost the human touch. As a logistics service, ‘connecting’ is at the core of DHL’s business, the strength is in speed of services, vast network and the unmatched number of employees. To build our platform, we would have to strike the balance between DHL’s hygiene factors and consumers’ need for authentic collaboration, which the partnership with Mo Salah can offer.

But what is the Egyptian King without the fans? While those fans were only able connect with him on social platforms, it was time for DHL to take him offline to redirect them to experience DHL’s Real Human Network

The casting process was all about real fans who have undergone multiple trials with reach Salah with the use of social media. Throughout a regional scouting process that has lasted 3 months, we were finally able to find real fans who have crafted real gifts to Salah, however, they were lost on how to deliver those gifts. The research team was spread all over the region, the chosen 5 fans were found, and contacted. The fans were invited to bring those gifts, and they were told they needed to craft the gifts further, as they are being filmed. The real surprise has occurred when DHL delivered those gifts, and got them real footage and gifts back from their favorite star.