When Brands Lead with Purpose – Connection Through Community-Led Campaigns
According to Donna Benton, Founder & CEO, The ENTERTAINER, value isn’t always about saving, “it’s about feeling like you’re getting something worthwhile”. People still want a great deal, now more than ever… but they also want memorable experiences.
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Economic pressures across the Middle East have shifted how people think about value, spending, and loyalty.
During this period of unpredictability, The ENTERTAINER doubled down on community, empathy, and meaningful support through its “Our Home. Our Heart.” initiative — a response shaped not by corporate messaging, but by listening to real needs.
What began as a gesture to support households and local businesses quickly turned into a large-scale movement across the UAE.
“People don’t expect brands to have all the answers, but they do expect empathy and honesty. But it’s also about leadership – which direction you can take, how you can help the community while ensuring it makes business sense at the same time,” says Donna Benton, Founder & CEO, The ENTERTAINER.
In this interview, Donna Benton reflects on leadership in unpredictable times, the brand’s digital transformation, and why doing the right thing for communities can also make strong business sense.
Excerpts from the interview:
What sparked the idea behind the “Our Home. Our Heart.” initiative, and how quickly did you realise the scale of demand you were tapping into?
It came from a very real place. We’ve worked alongside the hospitality industry for 25 years, and during challenging times, you can feel the pressure they’re under.
Plus, it was a way to give back to the community; people are concerned about job security and are looking for ways to save money. We wanted to do something meaningful, quickly – while being mindful of the safety of our community in an evolving environment.
The response was almost immediate.
250,000 One Heart memberships were claimed within just four hours, and 100,000 offers were redeemed throughout the UAE in that first weekend. The initiative struck a chord because people genuinely care about supporting the places they love.
You founded the ENTERTAINER 25 years ago and have seen it evolve. What has been the most defining shift in your journey as a founder?
Honestly, the biggest shift came about when we moved from a print publication, a book of hard copy vouchers, to the app – or as I describe it, going from analogue to digital. We launched in 2013, when the technology was very new, and we were breaking fresh ground.
Despite our technological advancements and evolutions, the heart of the ENTERTAINER remains: making the unaffordable, affordable to our users and forging deep and long-standing relationships with our merchants.
Partnerships played a key role in this initiative, like Emirates Skywards. What did this initiative reveal about the power of collaboration in times of unpredictability?
When we launched the “Our Home. Our Heart” initiative, we collaborated with Emirates Skywards, offering 25 of those who claimed the initial 50,000 ENTERTAINER One Heart Membership allocation the chance to receive 100,000 Skywards Miles.
Within 45 minutes, that offer was claimed. It just shows that when brands come together with a shared purpose, you can move faster and create meaningful impact. It really showed that in uncertain times, partnerships aren’t just beneficial, they’re essential.
Consumers today are increasingly value-conscious but also experience-driven. How is that changing what “value” actually means in your category?
Value isn’t just about saving money anymore – it’s about feeling like you’re getting something worthwhile. People still want a great deal, now more than ever – and Buy One Get One Free is the best offer on the market – but they also want memorable experiences.
So, for us, it’s about delivering across the board: helping people go out, explore new places, and feel good about how they’re spending – always when it is safe to do so – and driving footfall to our partner merchants. It’s a win-win for both.
How should brand messaging evolve during times of unpredictability, and what role can brands play in creating a sense of stability and normalcy for their customers?
It has to be more human. Less polished, more authentic.
People don’t expect brands to have all the answers, but they do expect empathy and honesty. But it’s also about leadership – which direction you can take, how you can help the community while ensuring it makes business sense at the same time.
So, as a brand, it’s about digging deep in what you can actually do to help the consumer, the community, the country, the region you call home – and about activating those ideas into meaningful impact.
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