Grab ad hits nail on the head

Grab has been transcending a great many grand races in technology and consumer experience.

Now it is winning historic laurels in advertising.

Grab’s No Sweat Summer recently won Silver in Cannes Film Lions (for Viral Film), the esteemed festival that celebrates the creativity of the moving image.

This is the highest Cannes Film Lions placement ever for the Philippines.

Internet users enthusiastically praised the Grab-led and Gigil-produced web video campaign for its unique, funny and genuine storytelling, as it went viral and gained widespread attention.

The ad film, which was shared about 100,000 times and received over 32 million views on various social media, shot to viral fame in the Philippines and throughout Southeast Asia, including Singapore and Thailand.

As proof of the potency of imaginative and skillful storytelling, the campaign was able to persuade more customers and passengers to depend on Grab for their everyday activities and summer travels during the hottest months in the Philippines.

After the video was released in the first week of April, GrabFood and GrabCar experienced a six-week run of transactions that broke records.

“Our commitment is to always capture how Grab uplifts the everyday reality of our users,” noted Grab Philippines country marketing head J-Anne Aruta. “The overwhelming positive reception of ‘No Sweat Summer’ can be attributed to the strong consumer insight that the campaign amplified — which is the portrayal of the hassles of summer heat that we as Filipinos have learned to weather over time.”

“Every Filipino has a partner in Grab, showing us that, indeed, a no-sweat summer is possible and achievable, even in a tropical country like the Philippines.”

The film tells the tale of a Filipino who uses GrabCar’s pleasant rides and GrabFood’s large assortment of coolers to beat the summer heat in the Philippines.

The common truth portrayed in the movie, in which a man is seen perspiring profusely while going about his day, strengthens the video’s relatability.

Many people commented on how well this reflected the summertime experience of everyday Filipinos.

“As fellow commuters and consumers, we’ve experienced the hassle of having to leave the house in the scorching midday heat, especially during the summer. We know that most Filipinos would prefer to avoid this, especially considering the record-breaking heat indices this year. And this shared truth, which we hoped to have captured in the film, resonated strongly with our audience,” Aruta adds.

Gigil creative director Leslie Cua has highlighted the importance of strong insight as the backbone of the campaign.

Cua said the agency’s healthy working relationship with Grab is based on their mutual respect and emphasis on real, meaningful insights.

The stories they highlight and magnify constantly demonstrate Grab’s profound understanding of its users.

“Collaborating with brands that have a clear vision of their values, the problems they solve, and their audience is always a rewarding experience,” Cua said.

“We love the boldness of brands like Grab who consistently embrace authentic, albeit slightly unconventional, storytelling.”