2012 Winners & Shortlists

CRICKET STARS

BrandCOCA-COLA
Product/ServiceSPRITE
EntrantMEMAC OGILVY & MATHER Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
CategoryUse of Special Events And Stunt/Live Advertising
Entrant Company:MEMAC OGILVY & MATHER Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Advertising Agency:MEMAC OGILVY & MATHER Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Media Placement:UM DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Results and Effectiveness

Sprite Cricket Stars represented a total of 153,300 labourers. This was the number of eligible players from the 8 participating camps. Of this, there were 42,000 entrants into the Sprite Cricket Stars Tournament. Over 6,000 fans attended the finals, where they enjoyed complimentary Sprite.

Creative Execution

A cricket tournament, modeled on the World Cup, which would turn humble construction workers into Cricket Stars. The series of trials, practices, group stages and playoffs would run over 6 months and culminate in finals at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. First, trials were held in 8 of the biggest labour camps in the UAE, they lasted for 3 months. Practices took place at night and continued into the morning. The final squads consisting of 20 players each then played in a round robin tournament to determine the Semi finalists. This culminated in the semi finals and finals, contested in a special event at the new $100 Million Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

More than 90% of the UAE’s 250,000 labourers are from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. These men work long, hard hours in difficult conditions. They spend what little free time they have watching, playing and dreaming about cricket. When India made history winning the World Cup on home soil, many of the subcontinent’s biggest cricket fans were at work. As migrant laborers in the UAE, they were unable to revel in the excitement and glory enjoyed at home. Labourers from these countries are very familiar with our competitors products, as Pepsi is the market leader on the subcontinent. We saw a unique opportunity to introduce them to Sprite as a refreshing alternative, while providing them with welcome relief from their hard work and provide them with something they love – cricket.

Credits

Name Company Role
Steve Hough Memac Ogilvy & Mather Executive Creative Director
Robin Smith Memac Ogilvy & Mather Regional Creative Director
Ben Knight Memac Ogilvy & Mather Creative Director
James Bisset Memac Ogilvy & Mather Associate Creative Director
Gary Rolf Memac Ogilvy & Mather Art Director
Christian Louzado Memac Ogilvy & Mather Designer
Tarek Shawki Memac Ogilvy & Mather Business Director
Nader Al Attar Memac Ogilvy & Mather Account Manager
Bhumi Doshi Memac Ogilvy & Mather Account Executive
Elvan Rehman Memac Ogilvy & Mather Account Manager
Younes Iraki Action Marketing Ceo
Jaffar Mohammed Action Marketing Project Manager
Assad Kasis Universal Media Media Director
Omar Katerji Universal Media Media Supervisor
Dana Nahas Universal Media Group Director
Denzil Fernandes Freelancer Tournament Director
Christopher Bisset Complet Films Director
Ross Hilier Complet Films Videographer