Real Skills

Background

In Ecuador, more than 500,000 workers were laid off during the pandemic, irrespective of their age, profession or social status.

As home delivery of food and drink, including Pepsi, increased exponentially, lawyers, teachers, electricians, even Ph.D professionals found themselves becoming delivery bikers

Idea

In a collaboration between BBDO Ecuador, Pepsi and Picker, one of Ecuador’s biggest delivery service platforms, the Picker app was modified to promote its messengers’ experiences and skills. It showed the messenger’s profession, years of experience and phone number in order to be hired for a job, if needed.

Results

200 messengers have joined in on the new option with more applying. Reception to the idea by the public as well as by messengers was overwhelmingly positive. What began as a campaign of limited duration was extended indefinitely.

Our Thoughts

Many brands are trying to be optimistic in the pandemic. Inevitably their messages tend to be generalised, along the lines of “the new normal can be a better normal.” This is the first instance, I think, of a brand addressing those people whose lives have been catastrophically affected. Here’s Pepsi and Picker giving people back some vestiges of their dignity. It’s an idea about respect that suggests, ironically, that many of us would be happy to go back to the old normal.