2011 Winners & Shortlists

The Brief

Iconic Swiss brand TAG Heuer have pioneered luxury watch-making since 1860. However, despite its long-established heritage in creating sporting time-pieces, consumers in the UAE consider the brand somewhat of a new entrant. With TAG Heuer 150 years old in 2010, it gave us an opportunity to change perceptions and share its history with luxury watch-buyers in the UAE. The challenge then was to stage a unique event that embodied the sporting spirit of TAG Heuer to celebrate its 150th anniversary.

Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation

TAG Heuer’s DNA lies in Motorsports such as Formula One and GT racing – a passion-point that is shared with affluent watch-buyers across the UAE. However, with the UAE’s hot climate, staging racing events outdoors can prove very problematic. Therefore, we opted to cool people down and created the TAG Heuer ‘Ice Race’ – indoor racing on ice! We modified regular go-karts, used the Dubai Ice Rink as a track and made 23rd-24th April our race weekend. The race was endorsed by Emirati race legend Mohammed Bin Sulayem and given official patronage by Sheikh Majid bin Mohammed bin Rashed Al Maktoum.

Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results

Racing events are not new but racing on ice (especially in the desert!) is something completely different and unique. It would offer drivers the ultimate test of ‘performance’ and ‘precision’ – the essence of TAG Heuer. By creating an event built on TAG Heuer’s sporting spirit we could effectively communicate the watch-makers brand values and share the 150 years celebration with watch-buyers in the UAE.

Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service

With 500 racing seats available for the weekend, we filled them all (having to turn drivers away). As the ‘first-of-its-kind’ in the region, over 3,000 spectators attended the event over the course of the weekend – a record for Dubai Mall. Direct sales at the event even boosted monthly sales of TAG Heuer watches by some 18%, compared to April 2009. Finally, the race proved so popular amongst our patrons that a private race was organized after the event had ended.