Western Union Launches Its First-Ever Global Brand Campaign
(Left): The yes! scroll signed in over 18 different languages from Western Union’s new yes! ad campaign launch event on March 18, 2009 held at the Hotel Sofitel in New York City . (Center): Representatives from
Western Union, Jennifer Briggs, Silvia Eliat, Arti Kumar Caprihan, sign the yes! scroll at the Western Union’s yes! ad campaign launch event. (Right): Western Union representatives, left to right, Sofia Freyder, Silvia
Eliat, Jennifer Briggs, Ali Cinar and Arti Kumar Caprihan , pose for a photograph at Western Union’s yes! ad campaign launch event
Englewood, Colo.: For the first time in the company’s 150-year history, Western Union has recently launched a comprehensive global brand initiative, entitled yes! This campaign celebrates people around the world who rely on the transfer of money across borders and oceans to help them embrace their hopes and dreams.
“This is a very exciting time for Western Union,” said Maher Kayali, Western Union Marketing Manager, Pakistan and Middle East. “ Western Union believes and supports the needs of people pursuing their dreams, even if they are miles away from their home. In these uncertain times, the optimism and positivity of our consumers is inspiring, and the yes! campaign reflects their can-do spirit of all Pakistanis across the US. Can a son support his parents back home? Can a father fulfill his child’s hopes and dreams? The answer is yes!”
Western Union ’s Money Transfer services enable Pakistanis around the globe to stay connected. With over 44,000 Agent locations in the US, and more than 4,700 in Pakistan, sending and receiving money to loved ones is easy and convenient. Dave Majumdar, Senior Product Manager, US. Outbound to India/South Asia and Pakistan added, “To better support the needs of the consumers, we inform them at the time of sending money, the exact amount which will be received by their loved ones back home. Western Union has been doing this for years, and this feature is very much appreciated by our consumers.”
The yes! brand campaign will be translated into 40 languages, including Arabic, and will consist of several marketing elements. There will be print, broadcast, and online advertising as well as new Point-of-Sale materials for more than 334,000 Agents in 200 countries and territories. Street art, billboards and other out-of-home creative will also be introduced globally. Western Union has also launched a dedicated microsite, www.wuyeseffect.com. This site seeks to engage consumers and empower them to share their stories of optimism and success through March 26. For each story submitted, Western Union will donate US$1, up to a total donation of US$50,000, which will be matched by the Western Union Foundation, up to a total donation of US$50,000, to education-focused nonprofit partners Mercy Corps, Room to Read and Academy for Educational Development.
Since the inception of the Western Union Foundation, as part of Western Union’s Our World, Our Family ® program, over US $700 Thousand has been committed to support the Pakistani community. Our World, Our Family is a five-year, $50 million signature program designed to provide communities with the skills, knowledge and resources essential to improve the quality of living.
Western Union assembled prominent creative talent for the campaign, including world-renowned film director Antoine Bardou-Jacquet, celebrated photojournalist Steve McCurry and famed typographer David Carson. Western Union selected these artists because of the humanity in their work and the contemporary fresh face their collaboration brings to the brand. Bardou-Jacquet and McCurry traveled the world to capture the striking images behind the campaign, including stops in Morocco, Singapore, Los Angeles and Cape Town, South Africa.
The creative behind Western Union’s campaign centers on the optimism and hope inherent in the word “yes!” and highlights tangible acts that bring the brand to life. The yes! campaign clearly and emotionally communicates its optimistic point of view using real people in its advertisements reflecting the global nature of Western Union.
About Western Union:The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) is a leader in global money transfer services. Together with its Vigo and Orlandi Valuta-branded money transfer services, Western Union provides consumers with fast, reliable and convenient ways to send and receive money around the world, as well as send payments and purchase money orders. It operates through a combined network of more than 375,000 Agent locations in 200 countries and territories. In 2007, the company processed nearly 168 million consumer-to-consumer money transfers and 405 million consumer-to-business transactions. Famous for its pioneering telegraph services, the original Western Union dates back to 1851. For more information, visit www.westernunion.com.
About the Western Union Foundation: Through the donations of The Western Union Company, its employees and Agents, the Western Union Foundation helps to fund programs that create economic opportunity around the world. Embracing the truly global nature of its corporate sponsor, the Western Union Foundation has granted almost $53 million to more than 1,840 nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in 100 countries. Its signature giving program, Western Union’s Our World, Our Family ®, is a $50 million, five-year commitment reaching people at every rung of the economic ladder. Through Our World, Our Family, the Western Union Foundation is helping migrants and their families stay connected, overcome barriers and realize their dreams. For more information, visit http://foundation.westernunion.com.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
