ENABLING FINANCIAL INCLUSION THROUGH REMITTANCES
Western Union
Financial Communications | Social Impact
Western Union, a global leader in payment services, has been present in India for over two decades. With the brand purpose of “Move Money for Better”, its focus extends beyond remittances to enabling financial inclusion and empowering women across the country.
THE CHALLENGE
The company was perceived globally as a cash-to-cash player, with little recognition of its contribution to bringing India’s unbanked population into the formal financial system. The challenge was to highlight Western Union’s impact on financial inclusion and position it as a key player in supporting the government's broader agenda. Edelman was tasked with developing a report that could reinforce this leadership and advance thought around remittance-driven inclusion.
THE EXECUTION
We adopted a five-pronged approach to showcase findings from the report and the impact of remittances on lives. An exclusive interview with CNBC TV18 launched the report, with Mr. Hikmet Ersek, Global CEO, Western Union, during his India visit. The report was presented to Arun Jaitley – India’s Finance Minister – to ensure key stakeholder engagement. Scheduled interviews for Hikmet Ersek were secured with leading national dailies (The Economic Times and The Times of India), Bloomberg, and Forbes. We leveraged city and sector (Women and SME) specific content and organised a roundtable with CNBC TV18, where Ms. Sohini Rajola, Managing Director and RVP, India and South Asia, along with Mr. Janmejaya Sinha and Mr. Rajeev Arora, discussed the report.
THE OUTCOME
The campaign won a Diamond SABRE South Asia Award 2017 for Superior Achievement in Research & Planning.