Western Union wanted to achieve two goals with its brand awareness campaign. First, to introduce their new platform "THIS IS WU" in Canada together with "WU" as their new global moniker; second, to have their customers directly participate in the execution.
How does one introduce a new brand look with consumer engagement?
Get re-acquainted! Let WU introduce itself, and invite their customers to do the same… through their selfies!
We executed a nationwide "Casting Call" via selfie uploads to generate a new, multi-ethnic talent pool for Western Union Canada's upcoming campaigns on the new THIS IS WU platform.
Selfies, the reigning visual status update of today, is popular among Western Union customers who keep in touch with loved ones who are far away from them. The ubiquity of the smartphone has made taking and sending selfies easier via SMS and social media.
With the selfie's popularity and ease of use, we used it as the "audition" piece for Western Union's future brand ambassadors.
We launched an online contest where participants uploaded their selfies for a chance to win $500 and appear in Western Union's upcoming ad campaigns.
For added engagement and shareability, selfies were voted on, with the top 25 receiving the cash prize.
To further attract participation, we collaborated with our digital media to schedule, feed, and loop selected selfies to huge, outdoor digital screens in Toronto and Vancouver.
Participants were informed of their scheduled appearance so they could go personally and see their larger than life selfies as Western Union ads! These ads were personalized for each participant, featuring their name and the country they send money to.
The contest was promoted online, on social media, mobile, and digital OOH.
5 grand prize winners, chosen by popular vote and a Western Union jury, became the new faces of the WU platform and were scheduled to appear in Western Union's ad campaigns.
Western Union Canada successfully ushered in the new face of WU with the help of their loyal customers… and their selfies!
A post-campaign survey revealed that the campaign propelled Western Union's brand awareness from 88% to 95%. 64% of WU customers were likely to use Western Union for their next money transfer overseas while 49% of non-WU users were persuaded to likely use Western Union as well. 79% of WU customers liked the campaign and 43% of non-customers did too.
The campaign also received 2,041 participants (potential brand ambassadors), 125,355 votes, and 6,770,196 media impressions.
And of course, Western Union's campaigns are now featuring their selfie stars!
