The Coffee Initiative.
Aramco's support for coffee farmers in Jazan, entered at the SMARTIES as a campaign that let the initiative speak for the brand: farmers' stories, films and posts around the Year of Saudi Coffee.
- Brand
- Aramco
- Agency
- Leo Burnett Middle East
- Market
- Saudi Arabia
- Region
- Saudi Arabia
- Year
- 2022
The challenge
The entry frames it as a reputation brief: 'How do you build a leading energy company's sustainability credentials?' On the ground, Aramco says Jazan's coffee farmers lacked water for irrigation, struggled to find labour and, with small crops, couldn't find a market for their beans.
The idea
Aramco began its coffee initiative in 2016 with the Jazan Mountains Development Authority and Al-Dayer Charitable Society, giving farmers seedlings, smart irrigation, training and help selling their beans. The SMARTIES entry presents the initiative itself as the campaign: 'You don't do ads or campaigns. You act by focusing on an untapped industry in the nation: Coffee.' Aramco told the farmers' stories on its own channels during and after the Year of Saudi Coffee 2022, in magazine profiles and videos, and in April 2023 signed a memorandum with the PIF-owned Saudi Coffee Co. to expand the work (Arab News). The sources don't say which pieces Leo Burnett made.
Results
- More than 105 million views, 63 million engagements and 775 million impressions, according to the entry
- Aramco's e-reputation scores rose 5%, and coffee production rose 33 times against a goal of 10, by the entry's figures
- The supported farmers' output rose from 24 tons to 800 tons a year, according to Aramco's Elements magazine (May 2023)
Case study source: Aramco Source ↗
Awards
- MMA Smarties KSA 2023KSA – Social Impact MarketingGold
Credits
- Partner
- Jazan Mountains Development Authority
- Partner
- Al-Dayer Charitable Society
