Context:
Kenyan farmers’ reluctance to embrace new farming methods or grow new crops due to economic uncertainty resulted in Kenya’s already depleted soil degrading by a further 30% in 2024. Trapping farmers in a seemingly endless cycle of declining yields and poverty. Blue Band, a brand that has been part of Kenya’s fabric for over a century, thanks in no small part to farmers, wanted to help.
Showcase how Blue Band’s commitment to nurturing farming communities, children’s futures and the soil can all seamlessly come together under one initiative.
Idea:
Canola, the main ingredient in Blue Band’s flagship product margarine, is known for its soil nourishment properties, a perfect counter to Kenya’s arid soil - but getting farmers to change age-old practices would prove challenging. So, we decided to reach out to them through the next generation – their children. Blue Band’s Good Breakfast Programme, which provides over 30 million school kids with breakfasts and nutritional knowledge was our way in. We introduced a new chapter The Benefits of Canola Farming to the programme’s syllabus, successfully enlightening millions of kids about the benefits of the crop. We built on things with a short film A Seed of Hope, which follows young Amina’s efforts to save her family farm by getting her father to become a Canola grower. The film, which was screened in thousands of schools, made our message resonate with many.
Result:
The additional chapter and the accompanying film not only captured hearts but also the attention of the farming community, resulting in over 9,000 farmers signing up to become seasonal Canola growers. Soil nourishment increased as did the fortunes of farmers due to an increased yield and Blue Band’s buy-back guarantee. As a result, 80% of Blue Band’s Canola is now locally sourced - causing our sustainability goal of achieving 100% local sourcing by 2030 to advance significantly.
Case Study Film
A Seed of Hope (Trailer)
A Seed of Hope (10-minute Short Film)
Agency: DDB Singapore
Creative Directors: Vinod Savio, Thomas Yang
Head of Art: Thomas Yang
Art Director: Thomas Yang
Copywriter: Vinod Savio, Danny Nazareth
Producer: Kogina Goh
Director: Giordano Maestrelli (Stink)