2011 Winners & Shortlists

The Campaign

Yas Marina Circuit turns record producer to promote one of its motorsport events! Drifting embodies freestyle movement and technique, regular motor rules do not apply here - it’s not about finishing first, but about style, individualism and self-expression. As a sport with great youth appeal, we tapped into the UAE urban music scene and aimed the event/product towards that audience. We communicated with young audiences by creating an overarching message and platform they could relate to. Graffiti is essentially freestyle and individual; therefore, combining a graffiti font with the platform headline “Urban Skills” activated the nature of the sport. As local hip hop and RnB music is popular with UAE youth culture, a standalone hip hop track was created to educate and excite people on Formula Drift, with the objective of appealing to a wider audience and not just petrol heads. This track was also featured on our drifting video.

Success of the Campaign

Digitally, we uploaded 30 videos to the Yas FormulaDrift YouTube channel, amassing 229 subscribers and rocketing to 158,239 upload views in two weeks. Our track was used in purchased digital media, attracting over 308,000 views, while the event’s live stream drew 75,258 views. On the ground, we pushed boundaries by commissioning graffiti artist on the Abu Dhabi Corniche, where hundreds watched two local artists at work over a 12-hour period. Using three Formula Drift drivers, we staged a stadium drifting demo to over 18,000 football fans. While consumers took home a DVD of the “Urban Skills” song and video that accompanied the event guide. As a new event, approximately 3,600 were expected to attend. With 4,700 in attendance, however, it was a sellout event that attracted a new, young audience who had never visited the circuit. Other products also saw interest rise concurrently. http://www.youtube.com/user/YASFormulaDrift http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ms7cuyqbqII http://creative.tribalfusion.com/creative/ADMM/v2/index.html http://cdn2.fireflyvideo.com/creative/yas_marina/fev/v1/index_1.html

Describe how the campaign/entry was launched and executed across each channel in the order of implementation.

Reaching out through the beat! Featuring a local urban artist and international producer, we created a track called “Urban Skills”. Instead of activating the event we became a record label and producer and activated the track. Here’s how we did it, YouTube for its video-sharing capabilities, providing a forum to connect with our brand through the music, we launched a YasFormulaDrift YouTube channel that doubled as a call to action while integrating the “Urban Skills” track. The track was also activated through, print placing ads in music industry magazines like Rolling Stones Middle East, radio by inviting DJs to the circuit meet the “Urban Skills” artist which resulted in playing of the track on air. Activations in Virgin Megastore, a music haven for consumers, and a bought digital campaign through music and entertainment forums and websites and a direct mail piece, a CD offering consumers a copy of the track.