Hewar Social Communications Wins ARF David Ogilvy Award

Hewar Social Communications is pleased to announce that the Advertising Research Foundation (ARF) has awarded it and client, Saffron Road Foods™, with the prestigious David Ogilvy Award for the Digital + Media category. Hewar focuses on helping its clients reach consumers online and motivate them to take action both online and off, which is precisely what Hewar accomplished during Saffron Road and Whole Foods Market®'s campaign targeting Muslims during Ramadan last year.

Hewar accepted the award Tuesday evening at a gala in New York City attended by over 500 industry peers at the ARF's annual convention. The David Ogilvy Awards for Excellence in Advertising Research celebrate the extraordinary or creative use of research in the advertising development processes of research firms, advertising agencies, and advertisers.

"We're happy to see ARF and the advertising industry as a whole recognizing the value of the Muslim consumer market and are thrilled to be a part of carving out this multicultural marketing practice," says Lisa Mabe founder and principal of Hewar.

The objectives of the campaign were to increase brand awareness and sales among Muslim consumers. Digital outreach resulted in significant increase in Saffron Road's social media base and online conversations, but most importantly, increasing sales by 300% during the month-long campaign.

"It's not often when brands and retailers acknowledge American Muslim consumers, but as you can see, when they do, it certainly pays off," continues Mabe. A detailed case study about the campaign, Halal History in the Making, will soon be posted on the ARF website.

Hewar's work in cross-cultural public relations is frequently cited as case studies on how to effectively reach consumers online. The agency's continued success in reaching Muslim consumers with Saffron Road Foods can be found in the new book.