2012 Winners & Shortlists

Results and Effectiveness

Over 25,000 children from 30 schools participated. The winnings schools were given various educational benefits, including laptops. During the course of the campaign, our Facebook fan page increased by 8,886 new fans. Through friends, our message reached over 23,000 people, with an impressive average of 1,000 comments posted daily. With the help of the youth of our nation, our message of a ‘Greener’ Dubai had taken flight. Reaching thousands of people on Facebook and thousands more through word-of-mouth, our total PR value generated over 1,000,000 Dirham’s.

Creative Execution

Schools all over the UAE were invited to participate to create the recyclable sculptures. Collectively, 20 such sculptures were developed and exhibited in Mirdif City Centre. The sculptures included an Arabian Falcon made entirely of soda cans, the Burj Khalifa made of paper and a Traditional Dhow made from recyclable McDonalds Happy Meal toys. The sculptures were symbolic of iconic imagery representing the UAE National Day. Together the sculptures educated children about the importance of using recyclable material and keeping our nation spotless. Social media was used aggressively to drive buzz & talkability amongst fans. The key activity was a competition where fans could vote on the displayed images of the sculptures on the mall’s Facebook page. We also used leading newspapers, magazines, radio stations and tactical outdoor sites to get the word out and inform the nation about our initiative.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

In 2011, the UAE generated almost 4.8 million tons of trash, accounting for 22% of all waste produced in the Middle East. For a nation that prides itself on having the best of everything, this was a dubious distinction. Recognized as the only ‘Green’ mall in the region, Mirdif City Centre took the responsibility of making our nation a cleaner place and rewarding those who take an active part in this initiative. And there was no better time to start, than on the 40th anniversary of the UAE National Day – a day of pride. Our objective was to start educating the younger generation about recycling, with the challenge of transforming recycling into a fun and creative activity. The solution was to develop an outreach program with schools to create ‘Green’ works of art using only recyclable material and theme each work around the UAE National Day.