Western Union (WU), a leading remittances and foreign exchange company, has launched a global programme in the UAE to mark the unveiling of its re-branded marketing platform ‘This is WU’.

The new programme ‘WU Wish’ will encourage people to describe their hopes and aspirations for a family member or family situation, and the WU Wish programme will make 10 of these wishes come true.

The company says its new branding platform focuses on creating connections, and WU Wish is an apt start to several other programmes that are slated to further enhance customer involvement, interaction and impact. The first phase of WU Wish will kick-off in the UAE, during Ramadan.

“We conducted comprehensive market research - both qualitative and quantitative - across all our major markets, and we are now harnessing the results to refresh our brand communication and engagement with our customers,” explained Marc Aubry, vice president Marketing of MEA, APAC, EE and CIS regions.

“WU Wish is a uniquely designed programme that mirrors why people remit money to friends, family and loved ones. There is always a reason, and a story. Most people who send money home typically do it for someone else’s welfare and well-being, or to ensure that someone else’s aspirations are being met.

These remittances are often accompanied by great personal sacrifice, and thereby, realising a dream for another person has a much higher value than just the price tag associated with it,” he added.

During Ramadan, Western Union will take its WU Wish platform further by awarding 10 consumers with Dh10,000 ($2,720) each to fulfil a wish for someone else, a statement said.

In addition, they will also win travel vouchers worth Dh10,000 each, in order to undertake personal visits to loved ones. Other programme prizes include weekly Iftar meals for up to 15 people, especially created and catered to the households of winning wish nominees. All winners will be chosen by draw.

Aubry said the programme was wide open to public participation, with every resident of the UAE getting one chance to make a wish on the website.  Furthermore, Western Union customers who make a transaction can claim two wish nominations, and those who do so using their MyWU loyalty cards can avail of three nominations.

A promotional video for the programme is currently featured on Facebook and Youtube, with a link leading into the dedicated website. WU Wish is also being promoted across various social platforms under the hashtag #WUwish, and through features on the radio stations Al Rabia and Mirchi FM.   

The programme will officially close on 18 July in the UAE, and the 10 principal winners will be announced in the first week of August.  However, the WU Wish platform will continue to remain an integral part of the company’s social engagement initiatives.

WU Wish will also be launched in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, and thereafter in India and Bangladesh, before it is rolled out in other global markets.- TradeArabia News Service