The UN comically subverts 'the fast life' in glitzy Ramadan campaign
The United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP) has launched a digital campaign for ShareTheMeal - its mobile fundraising app - to engage Muslim audiences this Ramadan.
Ramadan
ShareTheMeal is an app devised by the UNWFP to encourage people to donate meals digitally by inviting them to 'share a meal' with a child in need. So far, 37m meals have been donated via the app, and donors can feed a child for a day with just 35p.
Marked by 1.6 billion around the world, Ramadan is a time of fasting, prayer, reflection and community for the Muslim faith.
#TheFastLife ShareTheMeal campaign, devised by Ogilvy, targets a Muslim audience this Ramadan, as the tradition of charitable donations is key to this religious period.
To live the 'fast life' means different thing to different people. To many, it means living for short-term excitement - a life all about money, cars and showing off.
The #TheFastLife film comically subverts this general understanding, giving it new meaning. While a glitzy overlay leads the viewer to assume the ad is all about the 'fast life' - it is, in fact, all about the real 'fast' life during Ramadan.
Luce Wahid - the central Muslim protagonist - is an aspiring social media influencer, vlogging about his 'fast life' during Ramadan.
Throughout the film, he is seen showing-off and sharing his 'flamboyant' lifestyle. Waking at 2:30am, he is seen with a handheld camera light to take the perfect picture of his breakfast, as during Ramadan - "the early bird catches the likes."
Shades on, he coolly enters his office telling the viewer "the thing is people want to know all about me" - before his fellow workmates each turn around asking questions about what he can and can't drink and eat while fasting.
At the end of the film, it becomes clear that he isn't sharing his life with social media, but is making the most of Ramadan's blessings by using the ShareTheMeal app.
The funny insights into the Ramadan tradition intend to resonate with its socially savvy target audience.
The social campaign will roll out across a range of channels, with influencers also taking part.
This is the second Ramadan targeted ad the United Nations has launched this week. On Tuesday (21 May) the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees unveiled 'Be The Light' - a global campaign that brought to life the treacherous journey of refugees on their road to safety.
Discussing the campaign, Mufadal Jiwaji head of marketing UN WFP ShareTheMeal: “Ogilvy epitomises what a great agency should be. With deep expertise in engaging with Muslim audiences, they used their vertical-specific insight to craft an edgy and modern campaign to resonate with our target audience.
"Marrying diligent project management with creative flair is no small thing; yet the team make it look easy. Throughout the journey Ogilvy had to contend with our unique and challenging set of processes and did this with the bigger picture always in mind.”
Adding to this, Shelina Janmohamed, vice-president Islamic Marketing Ogilvy UK said: “Muslim audiences consistently tell us that they want engagement from brands and organisations, especially during Ramadan.
"It’s been an incredible opportunity to collaborate with the UN World Food Programme to drive further awareness around the work they are doing, and at the same time to celebrate the Ramadan season in a way that is true to contemporary British Muslim life.”
