Our objectives were:
Our creative strategy was to present the EBRD as a dynamic, forward-thinking institution, one ready to help combat climate change, inequality and the economic impact of the pandemic and stand out among other development banks thanks to a quirky and nostalgic approach to content. A challenge was to reach out to staff, themselves scattered over more than 40 countries, and deepen their sense of belonging to the EBRD, all during the harshest period of lockdown.
Like a hip 30-year old, our birthday party had it all: music, video tributes, games and even an orchestra, all prepared and celebrated during a strict lockdown.
The EBRD is a child of the 1990s. So we aimed to evoke the look and feel of that decade through fashion, music, projects, people, culture and games.
The formats used in the campaign included 13 videos, various cards, galleries, masks and filters embracing 90s style.
We used the new formats to evoke a deeper sense of belonging to and connection with the EBRD through an Instagram filter and 6 Facebook masks, as well as video that focused on our staff.
We also reached other key audiences through a virtual, live discussion on global development goals by engaging with some of the brightest economic minds of today.
We had our own live version of Bake Off, starring a Chernobyl cake! (We managed the project to make Chernobyl safe for future generations.) Staff baked the cakes at home and shared images online.
And as a special birthday present to our staff, Chester Tribley, a 19 year old student from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, composed a piece titled "30 Years of Changing Lives” for us.
It was premiered by the Guildhall Session Orchestra on the 24th floor of, from next autumn, our new home in Canary Wharf. Many of the orchestra came from the countries where we invest.
The 30th anniversary video received a very warm welcome from our LinkedIn community especially.
In March 2021 we conducted two big campaigns. Despite this, April (month of the Bank's anniversary) saw a significant increase of all numbers across all our accounts.
Overall project reach - 75M people, 200,000+ organic video views of the anniversary film.
We’re a small in-house team with a primary focus on social media but are active and innovate across the whole digital space. We do everything ourselves; there is no budget for help from outside.
