Gross Insurance & Uzum Market - Viisble Bag
Uzbekistan is facing a severe energy crisis. Frequent blackouts and aging infrastructure leave many streets in complete darkness at night. In some places, there aren’t just broken streetlights - there are no streetlights at all. As a result, pedestrians are almost invisible and dangerously exposed. Every year, more than 2,400 people lose their lives in traffic accidents. 260 of them are children. Half of these deaths happen at night.
Gross Insurance - one of the country’s leading insurers was directly affected. Nighttime accidents drove up claims and financial losses. In 2023, the company reported a 7% drop in profits.
Meanwhile, Uzum - Uzbekistan’s largest online shopping platform, serving over 10 million users saw a growing number of evening pickups. More than 30% of orders are collected after work time, often by pedestrians walking home in unlit streets.
Two different industries, one shared crisis: people were dying, and the system wasn’t responding fast enough. Massive infrastructure upgrades would take years and cost billions. The emergency called for a different kind of solution: one that was simple, fast, and scalable.
Together, Gross Insurance and Uzum saw an opportunity to make a difference - not through traditional advertising, but by turning something people use every day into a tool for protection: a shopping bag. The solution was the Visible Bag - a reflective shopping bag that turned pedestrians into moving safety signs. It wasn’t just a product - it was a message. A way to give visibility to people who had none.
Gross Insurance was facing financial pressure.One of its insurance products posted a 7% loss due to rising accident claims. The company needed a low-budget campaign that could go viral.
Research uncovered a stark reality: over 2,400 people die in traffic accidents each year in Uzbekistan — 260 of them children. That’s eight times more than in Europe. Most fatalities happen at night, when pedestrians are nearly invisible due to poor street lighting. The country faces an energy crisis: outdated systems cause blackouts and leave streets dark.
Gross Insurance created a reflective bag that made people visible — without spending billions on infrastructure.
To scale the idea, Gross Insurance partnered with Uzum, the largest online shopping platform in Uzbekistan, where 30% of orders are picked up at night.
10,000 bags were distributed in the first month. The campaign reached 18.3 million people — and Gross Insurance recorded an 8% profit increase.
We didn’t just redesign a shopping bag, we reimagined how brands can help protect people in the real world. In Uzbekistan, half of all traffic fatalities happen at night, on dark streets where pedestrians are almost invisible. So we turned an ordinary plastic bag, delivered through an online shopping platform, into an eco-responsible, life-saving tool.
Every third customer collects their order after work — often in the dark. That’s when we surprised them with something unexpected: a reflective bag printed with a pedestrian road sign. It doesn’t just carry things — it makes them visible, keeps them safe, and turns them into part of the message.
No instructions. No effort. Just an everyday habit transformed into protection.
This idea blurred the line between product, media, and behaviour. People carried it. Drivers noticed. Authorities stepped in. It spread — from shoppers to schoolchildren — and became a nationwide symbol of safety.
The Visible Bag was designed for one purpose: to make pedestrians visible at night. Made from durable, reusable materials and finished with high-reflective film, the bag was designed to catch the eye from a distance. The pedestrian crossing sign - familiar to every driver - was printed large and centered for maximum visibility. Instead of inventing something new or complicated, we reimagined something people already use every day: a shopping bag. It needed no explanation - it just worked. Simple. Obvious. Effective.
Produced locally for speed and scale, the bags first launched at 234 pickup points in Tashkent — then expanded to 945 locations across the country. Integrated directly into Uzum’s logistics system, the bag came with every order with no extra steps, no extra cost.
This wasn’t a traditional media campaign. The product was the message. And every person who carried it became part of the story.The Visible Bag Campaign exceeded expectations. Gross Insurance, previously facing losses from nighttime claims, recorded an 8% profit increase. It wasn’t advertising that changed perception, but real action that protected lives.
By putting safety at the heart of the experience, Uzum saw a boost in brand preference and loyalty - proving that when people feel protected, they stay connected. The initiative gained the support of local authorities, who scaled it nationwide and brought the bags into schools. The campaign earned over 50 organic media mentions across national news and social channels — with zero media spend. In the first month, 10,000 bags were distributed. The campaign reached 18.3 million people – nearly 49% of Uzbekistan’s population. The Visible Bag didn’t just meet the brief – it outshined it. The streets didn’t get brighter, but the people on them finally did.
