2013 Winners & Shortlists

The Brief

Sprite has been virtually non-existent in the Middle East for three years. We were tasked to bring it to life along with its core value message of being a refreshingly honest brand that doesn’t promote bullshit. Our strategy was to encourage young Saudis to adopt this kind of mindset in their lifestyle. Our audience was not familiar with the brand and has never been exposed to this bold tone of voice, especially in Saudi Arabia, where every kind of content is constantly censored.

Creative Execution

Our young target audience spends a daily average of 15 hours on the internet. So we had to use YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, as pillars for our direct communication. But that wasn’t the only reason, Sprite was actually bold enough to do something that has never been done before in this region – being completely honest and blunt where everyone is restraining opinions. That’s why these channels were the best direct communication medium, with minimal content filtering, and maximum direct, Saudi self-expression. And to keep the discussions enjoyable, we used comedy to send refreshingly honest fun messages.

Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective.

For a bold brand like Sprite, it was only fitting to use the internet as a medium, since it is considered the only channel in KSA with minimal filtering and censorship. Sprite decided to lead by example. So we created a 5-minute video series, taking an honest spin on life, aired and communicated on YouTube, Minalakhir-website, Facebook page, and Twitter account. We expected some resistance as Arabs are used to sugarcoating the truth, but we were determined to reach our target: 3 million views by the first half of the campaign and build a long-lasting relationship with Saudi youth.

Results

The first weeks were alarming, as viewers were not ready for brutal honesty, but in only 8 weeks we turned things around. Our Facebook page grew from 53 fans to around 400,000 active followers with engagement rate peaks of 39%. The show went from almost getting canceled to hitting 200% of our target, with over 5.5 million views… and counting. The 2% annual sales growth in KSA jumped to an incredible 15% growth during the first half of the campaign. Most importantly, we created a self-expression movement around the Saudi youth, encouraging them to say things the way they are.