Direct > Culture & Context

REDEEM FREEDOM

WUNDERMAN THOMPSON, Riyadh / STC (SAUDI TELECOM COMPANY) / 2023

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Overview

Credits

OVERVIEW

Why is this work relevant for Direct?

stc, Saudi’s leading telecom company with the biggest customer base, found an opportunity to help prisoners convicted with non-criminal financial cases with its loyalty program, Qitaf - by turning the loyalty points that usually expire at the end of every month into donation money. Introducing Redeem Freedom - an initiative that took the Kingdom’s biggest loyalty program and transformed it into one of the most successful donation platforms. stc sent users at the end of every month direct reminders on their mobile phones, social feeds and even outdoors to continuously convert their points before they become void.

Background

In Saudi, many people face indefinite jail time for debts as low as $200. On average 2000 males Saudis of all ages are incarcerated every year. With a combined debt of over 5 million Dollars. A problem so crippling it broke many families apart. Until 2019, when the Saudi government decided to launch Furijat:

a charity program aimed at gathering donations to pay of the debts of prisoners, convicted of non-criminal financial cases and reunite them with their loved ones. But, like all charity programs, many people are reluctant to donate cash.

How can stc, Saudi’s leading telecom company, help Furijat gather further donations?

Describe the creative idea

stc, with its biggest customer base, found an opportunity to help Furijat with its loyalty program, Qitaf, ـ by turning loyalty points into donation money. Introducing Redeem Freedom: an initiative that took the Kingdom’s biggest loyalty program and transformed it into one of the most successful donation platforms spreading continuous positive change.

Like most of the loyalty programs out there, a certain number of points expire by the end of every month. To keep these money-worthy points from going to waste, stc invited people to donate them and help set the convicted prisoners free.

Describe the strategy

Qitaf, stc's loyalty program, presents millions of customers with a unique opportunity to earn points through simple actions such as paying bills, recharging their lines, or making STC-related purchases. However, with the ease of collecting points, many customers’ balances accumulate over time, and they find themselves not using their points before their expiration date. To awaken the full potential of Qitaf program, we inspired customers to use them to their fullest extent before they become void.

With Qitaf’s partnership with Furijat, we further helped reinforce stc’s brand purpose of enriching everyone’s lives.

The initiative runs natively on STC's existing app (my stc) with its millions of active users, without the need to create a new platform for it. We strategically pushed the communication for this campaign at the end of each month, timing it a few days before a certain number of loyalty points expire.

Describe the execution

With just a few simple steps, millions of users were able to browse all of the prisoners' cases directly on stc's app (my stc) and select the individual they would like to donate their points to. To keep the donations flowing, we made sure to send out constant SMS messages and push notifications to STC users near the end of each month. Our efforts also included social media, where we launched a campaign across various platforms to remind people through their social feeds. Under the hashtag "Furijat with Qitaf," we invited everyone to make a difference and reunite broken families and loved ones through their Qitaf point donations. We also leveraged the reach of influencers and created an outdoor tally counter to display the large number of Qitaf points that go to waste each month and encourage further donations. The campaign ran all year and was boosted further during Ramadan.

List the results

20% More Prisoners were Released

30% Increase in Donations

20% Increase in Settled Debts

3.2M Reach on Social Media

stc instilled a new habit of continuously donating loyalty points for a greater cause.

And shifted the mentality from “not worth redeeming” to REDEEM FREEDOM.

Please tell us how the brand purpose inspired the work

stc, Saudi's leading telecom company, has always been at the forefront of innovation and technology advancements in the country. With a brand promise to enrich people's lives and move the nation forward, STC has consistently been working towards making a positive impact on the society. And this time, they have taken an initiative that encompasses one of the core values of the Saudi culture - helping those in need.

Saudi Arabia is deeply rooted in Islamic values, which place a strong emphasis on acts of kindness, generosity, and the sharing of resources. stc’s initiative to support prisoners with non-criminal financial cases reflects the company's commitment to these timeless values. By offering its support, stc is not only helping to alleviate the burden of these individuals and their families and move their lives forward, but also also helping the mass to do more good deeds and enrich their lives spiritually.

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