2013 Winners & Shortlists

THE SATIRE REVOLUTION

Bronze
BrandBLACKBERRY
Product/ServiceBLACKBERRY
EntrantSTARCOM MEDIAVEST GROUP Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
CategoryMOBILE APPLICATIONS & OTHER DOWNLOADABLE TOOLS
Entrant Company STARCOM MEDIAVEST GROUP Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Media Agency STARCOM MEDIAVEST GROUP Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Brief Explanation

In a period where Samsung and Apple launched their new S3 and iPhone5, BlackBerry was struggling to sustain its relevance among youth in Saudi with the lack of appealing apps in its app store especially when it came to local content apps. Saudi media is widely government and censorship-controlled. Youth struggle to find appealing mainstream content that speaks their language or allows them to participate in building their own entertainment experience. This paved the way for a new source of entertainment lead by young talent on YouTube, who have their own voice and who are becoming a phenomenon with millions of followers. Video has now become the leading activity among Saudi smartphone users. Saudi youth have created their own kind of uprising, a satire revolution. A perfect opportunity for BlackBerry to reconnect with Saudi youth Meet Omar Hussein, the John Stewart of Saudi Arabia and host of the satire YouTube-based show (Aaltayer). Omar challenged the mainstream media establishment with his witty and outspoken commentary on socio-political topics in KSA. This made him an immediate hit with 43 million views and 470,000 subscribers. For the first time ever, we invited Saudi youth to be part of the show. Omar seamlessly wove BlackBerry into 1.5 minute segment of his 7-minute show called “HaroBnaro” (“Hot out the Oven”). Using the fans’ input, he brought his coveted sense of humor and satire to create his most memorable segment to date. The interactivity between Omar and his BlackBerry fans was designed around his own unique and culturally relevant style. All communication happened through the BlackBerry mobile app that allowed fans to submit topics, messages, requests, questions and ideas for the show. Through the app they were also able get access to exclusive content like fan video replies, behind the scenes, bloopers and were able to watch the shows. The app was well received and rose to become the no 1 local app on AppWorld in Saudi Arabia with 90,000 downloads BlackBerry segment’s “HaroBnaro” received a staggering 5.3 million views. Fans’ participation increased to record levels, posting 31,500 comments and 161,000 likes on YouTube after 6 episodes. BlackBerry managed to reverse their downhill brand preference (increased by 5% and its consideration increased by 4%) by tying up with one of Saudi’s most influential personalities and creating an exclusive entertainment experience enabling them to be part of the satire revolution.

Credits

Name Company Role
Michelle Tam Starcom Mediavest Digital Account Manager
Yajnesh Rao Starcom Mediavest Media Director
Tarek Daouk Liquidthread Chief Content/Innovation Officer
Manikandan Hari Starcom Mediavest Client Managing Director
Rayan Karaky Starcom Mediavest Chief Digital Officer
Wesam Ayyash Starcom Mediavest Media Executive
Raed Bou Hamdan Starcom Mediavest Media Manager
Hani Naim Liquidthread Account Executive - Branded Content
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