Vodafone: GHITA, THE SOCIAL SHEPHERD

Credits & Description:

CLIENT VODAFONE ROMANIA
PRODUCT TELECOM
ENTRANT MCCANN ERICKSON ROMANIA BUCHAREST, ROMANIA
TYPE OF ENTRY USE OF MEDIA
CATEGORY USE OF SOCIAL IN A MEDIA CAMPAIGN
TITLE GHITA, THE SOCIAL SHEPHERD
PRODUCT/SERVICE TELECOM
ENTRANT COMPANY MCCANN ERICKSON ROMANIA BUCHAREST, ROMANIA
ADVERTISING AGENCY MCCANN ERICKSON ROMANIA BUCHAREST, ROMANIA
MEDIA AGENCY UM ROMANIA BUCHAREST, ROMANIA
ADRIAN BOTAN MCCANN ERICKSON CREATIVE CHAIRMAN
CATALIN DOBRE MCCANN ERICKSON CREATIVE DIRECTOR
ANDREI DANILUC MCCANN ERICKSON COPYWRITER
RAZVAN CHIFU MCCANN ERICKSON ART DIRECTOR
SEBASTIAN OLAR MCCANN ERICKSON COPYWRITER
ARPAD REZI MCCANN ERICKSON ART DIRECTOR
DANA HOGEA BV MCCANN ERICKSON ACCOUNT DIRECTOR
DIANA CEAUSU MCCANN ERICKSON HEAD OF STRATEGY
ANDREEA SPILCA BV MCCANN ERICKSON ACCOUNT MANAGER
VICTOR CROITORU UM ROMANIA PLANNING DIRECTOR
CARMEN BISTRIAN MCCANN ERICKSON PR MANAGER
CARMEN MARIN MCCANN ERICKSON ACCOUNT MANAGER
CORNEL CRIHANA UM ROMNAIA MEDIA MANAGER
TIBERIU MUNTEANU BV MCCANN ERICKSON AV MANAGER
ALEXANDRU PLATON BV MCCANN ERICKSON AV PRODUCER
Results and Effectiveness
Ghita became a national star, with over 500,000 Facebook fans, appearances on national TV, and a folk song composed especially for him. Both Romania's prim-minister and president visited Ghita, while the European Commissioner mentioned him as an example of Romania's digitalization. Brand Equity Share, the absolute indicator of Vodafone brand strength, finally broke away from our competitor, Orange, after months of head-to-head battle. The 'Best network' attribute increased, driving a 287% surge in the gap versus Orange. Mobile data revenue increased with 22%, and for the first time, Vodafone finished the year selling more smartphones than feature phones.
Creative Execution
We built the story as the first trans-media reality show in Romania. Apart from the conventional mix of TV, print, OOH, online, the heart of the story's engagement was on Facebook. After the launch, thousands of people started following his unique content online. This generated huge media interest, from news to celebrity shows. A popular local celebrity invited himself to Jina, and we documented his experience in a web series. The biggest commercial television in Romania invited Ghita to comment a Champions League game live on the internet
Insights, Strategy and the Idea
While Romanians in large cities have embraced a Western lifestyle, living conditions in rural areas are stuck in the distant past. Almost half of the country's population lives in villages, with little or no modern comfort. We knew technology could make their lives better, if they became aware of the benefits and affordability of smartphones and mobile internet. Our target was made out of simple people, advertising skeptics who considered technology out of their reach. So we challenged ourselves not to tell them, but to demonstrate to them that smartphones are useful, reliable devices, not just urban fads. That a smartphone equipped with mobile internet can help anyone break his personal barriers and progress. The idea was to create and document a social experiment using the Romanian stereotype of isolation and technology virginity: Ghita, the lonely shepherd who could only get friends through Facebook.