WU Launches Its First-Ever Global Brand INQUIRER.net
March 20, 2009
Can One Word Answer a Million Different Needs? Global Money-Transfer Company Says yes!
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (March 18, 2009) – 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 Mohit Bijlani, Western Union Manager, Philippines. “Western Union believes in people pursuing their dreams. Even in these uncertain times, the optimism and positivity of our consumers is inspiring, and this new campaign reflects their can-do spirit. Can a mother send her love to her son from 6,000 miles away? The answer is yes! Western Union’s money transfer services have been enabling these connections between Filipinos around the globe for 19 years. ”
The yes! brand campaign will be translated into 40 languages, 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.
As part of its Our World, Our Family® program, the Western Union Foundation provided The Family Scholarship Program, which rewarded education scholarships to families within the Guatemalan and Filipino Diaspora in the Los Angeles, California area. This program will soon expand to include the Mexican Diaspora. 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. 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.
