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MTN

Auntie Rica

Auntie Rica’s Home for the Disconnected is an inspirational tale of hope and the triumph of the human spirit in the face of adversity. Sufferers of Disconnected Syndrome find a safe haven at this fictitious institution from where they tweet, blog and Facebook. Do yourself a favour and purchase a piece of handicraft; the fruits of their (therapeutic) labour are available online.

Objective

To create a campaign to remind subscribers of their RICA obligations. The message had to be spread organically, without any bought media support. Targeted at the Youth, Trendies, Progressives and Achiever segments. Previous messages from services providers were not taken seriously, as consumers thought of RICA as a hassle without any personal benefit or consequence.

Solution

We invented the entire back-story about an alarming new social disorder called Disconnected Syndrome and its dedicated treatment facility: Auntie Rica's Home for the Disconnected. Here, Auntie Rica was the Good Samaritan who looked after them and cured them with her controversial treatment.

The campaign unpacked how this fragile, peculiar group of outcasts thought they were above the law and how they were affected by losing everything and everyone they held dear by failing to RICA.

It came complete with the home's website (www.alonebuttogether.org) with info on the syndrome, treatments and testimonials by the lead characters and an online shop peddling all sorts of cellphone memorabilia.

A social media presence consisted of the YouTube channel and Facebook fan page where five entertaining characters came to life. Each of these characters represented the five target audiences that would be most affected by being disconnected: small business owners, bloggers / social media fans etc.

The campaign was initially unbranded, adding to its credibility, but later claimed by MTN for a final month-long focused marketing push before the RICA deadline.

All efforts culminated in the MTN branded party video for the reveal. The theme: We know what you didn't do last summer; make this winter Ayoba! Get RICA-nected.