Case Study: A Low-Tech Lifeline - How SMS Reconnected Yara with Myanmar’s Farmers
In a crisis, communication isn't just a marketing function—it's a lifeline. When a sudden military takeover on February 1st threw Myanmar into chaos, this lifeline was severed. For Blink's client Yara, a Norwegian fertilizer company serving tens of thousands of rural farmers, the stakes were existential.
How do you maintain trust with a nationwide customer base when every modern communication channel has been shut down?
The Challenge: A Digital Blackout and a Dangerous Rumor
The situation was dire. The shutdown of internet and cellular data services created a complete communication gap between Yara and its customers. Worse, a dangerous rumor began to spread like wildfire: that Yara had abandoned the country. With its reputation and its entire business on the line, the company needed to reconnect with its audience fast.
The core challenge was immense: Yara's customers are rural communities who rely almost exclusively on the now-defunct cellular data for information. The very channels we would normally use to fight misinformation were gone.
The Strategic Insight: The Most Effective Tech is the One That Works
In an age of digital-first solutions, our most critical insight was deceptively simple: when the new channels fail, rely on the resilient ones. While the internet was down, we identified that the foundational infrastructure for ordinary phone calls and SMS messages was still functional.
Our strategy was to execute a radical pivot. We would go back to basics, designing an "old-school" text message campaign to serve as a direct, reliable, and unblockable channel to deliver accurate updates and kill the rumor at its source.
The Execution: A Throwback That Saved the Business
Blink rapidly designed and deployed a mass SMS campaign targeting Yara’s entire customer base. This wasn't just a throwback to the '00s; it was a sophisticated logistical operation designed for maximum impact:
- We crafted clear, concise, and trustworthy messages that provided critical updates.
- We directly addressed and debunked the rumor that Yara had left Myanmar.
- We established a consistent, reliable monthly communication cadence.
The Impact: Re-establishing Trust, One Text at a Time
The "low-tech" campaign was a huge success, proving that the smartest strategy is the one that adapts to the reality on the ground.
- Massive, Reliable Delivery: Thousands of critical text messages have been successfully delivered to Yara customers every single month, re-establishing a vital line of communication.
- Business Continuity Secured: The campaign effectively shut down the damaging rumors, maintained customer trust, and ensured business continuity during a period of unprecedented instability.
By having the agility to abandon modern marketing playbooks and embrace a simpler, more resilient solution, Blink helped Yara maintain its most critical relationships when it mattered most, proving that sometimes the best way to move forward is to take a strategic step back.