2012 Winners & Shortlists

The Campaign

There may have only been 72 days between Kim Kardashian’s highly publicised marriage and her equally high profile file for divorce, but somewhere in between, our agency managed to squeeze in one of the most-talked about launches the Middle East has ever seen. With a little help from Ms Kardashian herself. Millions of Milkshakes (MoMs) does not do things by halves. It may just be a retailer of flavoured dairy drinks, but the brand offers its customers a little bit of stardom with every sip. MoMs has made its mark as the destination of choice for LA celebrities (and their fans) craving a shake, and is home to signature shakes from some of Tinseltown’s most famous – including Lindsay Lohan, Miley Cyrus, Pamela Anderson and Shaquille O’Neal. In October 2011, the brand made its first foray into international markets through a franchise deal with UAE company, Emirates Hospitality. Determined to bring a hefty dose of the star quality that helped MoMs to shine Stateside, Emirates Hospitality chose to launch Millions of Milkshakes in The Dubai Mall with assistance from one of the world’s hottest celebrities, Kim Kardashian and her ‘momager’ Kris Jenner, aided and abetted by our team.

The Brief

With Kim in Dubai for three days, just eight hours of each allocated for MoMs, and with the E! crew following Kim and Kris’ every move, the agency had to map out a packed schedule, ensuring maximum media value for the client and maximum noise for MoMs brand. All this while providing value and support for another agency client, The Dubai Mall; creating a favourable global impression for Dubai / UAE with global audiences through Kim’s first visit to the Middle East; and providing maximum opportunities for young fans in the region to connect with Kim and the MoMs brand.

Results

• 400 journalists & bloggers at press conference at Atlantis, The Palm • 100 media at The Dubai Mall Launch, plus thousands of fans • All event updates placed on Kim’s Facebook and Twitter • Management of the MoMs Middle East social media platforms • Multiple broadcast interviews including MBC, Dubai TV, Reuters TV, Bloomberg, Sony TV • Exclusive arrival interview placed on Virgin Radio’s Kris Fade show • International coverage includes – Reuters global, Hollywood Insider, US Weekly.com, E! News, Access Hollywood, Fox News and ABC • Regional coverage includes –Al Bayan, Al Mara Al Youm, Cosmopolitan, Emarat Al Youm, Good Housekeeping, Grazia Middle East, Gulf News, Harper’s Bazaar, Haute Muse, Hello Middle East, Khaleej Times, Marie Claire, The National, OK Middle East • 17+ covers secured • Two episodes of Kim’s E! show set in Dubai • Print and online coverage alone to date generated AVE of US$6m+

Execution

Advance interviews with Sheeraz Hasan, founder of Hollywood.TV and MoMs placed in business media including Arabian Business and Emirates News plus lifestyle and consumer titles. Tweets for Kim and Kris’ social media platforms written and placed in build- up, including Arabic phrases, ‘Eid Mubarak’ greetings and countdowns to MoMs opening, gaining media coverage and increasing local fan engagement. ‘Exclusive’ info on Kim’s plans found its way to media pre-opening; YouTube clip of Kim talking about her upcoming trip distributed to broadcast and print media royalty-free. With client The Dubai Mall, meet & greet competition ran across Mall’s social media. Series of post-press conference one-to-one interviews with tier one media with Kim and Kris (conducted independently to maximise reach) plus placed competitions including Ahlan! and Virgin Radio, with breakfast show winner attending press conference and KK interview. Recommendations to E! were made to showcase the best of Dubai and the UAE.

The Situation

To say that at the time of launch Kim Kardashian was hot media property is no understatement. She has 13 million Twitter followers and 6.8 million Facebook fans, is the world’s third most searched for celebrity; has launched her own perfume line, clothing store, jewellery collection, and endorsed a plethora of other products; and somehow found the time to star in not one, but two reality TV shows about her family’s life and times. Our agency had to ensure that the MoMs brand and its first international outlet were constant throughout all media coverage of Ms Kardashian and her entourage.

The Strategy

Given limited timeframe, a high-impact pre-event campaign was designed to gain momentum, culminating in MoMs launch at The Dubai Mall on 15 October 2011. Full logistics planning plus daily schedules were designed to maximise media opportunities while meeting E!’s demands. Press Conference was staged one day prior to store opening at Atlantis, The Palm, for local, regional and international media and bloggers; building hype for the public event at The Dubai Mall. Signature UAE shakes for Kim and Kris were developed providing multiple branded photo-opportunities and brand-led coverage. Agency’s GCC offices were activated, creating interest regionwide. As MoMs outlet had limited space, to ensure thousands of fans who had come to see Kim were not disappointed ‘An Audience with Kim Kardashian & Kris Jenner’ was devised and staged at The Dubai Mall, attended by media and fans, hosted by MBC’s Joelle; plus in-store shake-making media opp and fan meet-and-greet.