Emirates NBD, one of the oldest and largest local banks in the UAE had lost touch with the locals. Perceived as the expat bank, they wanted to reconnect with the Emirati population by doing something meaningful for UAE National Day, without neglecting the huge expat population in the country.

UAE National Day is celebrated throughout the country. Many brands use it as an opportunity to wish the country’s citizens and residents. But a simple greeting wasn’t going to be enough. We needed to create a campaign rooted in purpose and get people to engage with it.

We realised that the UAE is the country it is today because of the collective efforts of its people. Emiratis and expats alike. Whether it’s people who do big, significant things that move the country forward, or the ones who do small, often unnoticed things, everyone who lives here has contributed in one way or another, to the past, present or future of the country.

So we decided to celebrate them in a way that was intrinsically linked to the bank. We created #TheNationsAccount by Emirates NBD. A non-monetary account where people could deposit their actions, intentions and personal contributions to the country.

The Nation’s Account lived on social and we used the participatory power of social media, on the country’s most patriotic day, to compel people to make their deposits in the form of posts, tweets, stories, videos and comments using #TheNationsAccount in English or Arabic.

No deposit was too big or too small, it was a celebration of the collective actions that have made the country stronger.

We launched the initiative through a poignant film that was shot by an Emirati director, and featured prominent Emiratis as well as other nationalities, making their deposits and inviting everyone in the country to do the same.

Then we rallied local influencers, respected public figures and leading companies in the UAE to share their ‘deposits’ on their own platforms and encourage their fans and followers to do the same.

#TheNationsAccount by Emirates NBD was a tribute to the UAE through its people. The outpouring of love, pride and patriotism was overwhelming:

Without any paid influencer marketing, over 100 influencers and prominent personalities in the UAE shared, retweeted or made their deposits to the Nation. Nearly 80% of them were Emiratis.

Government entities and media outlets shared the film inspiring hundreds of people to join in.

In just two weeks, the film generated a combined reach of 50million across platforms. With over 1million views, the film was also shared widely amongst the Emirati community on WhatsApp. There were 20k engagements and over 500 meaningful deposits.

The bank had inspired communities across the nation. There was a 15% growth in the overall UAE Nationals portfolio and an 8% increase in new accounts opened by Emiratis between December and January.