Our objective to get consumers in the UAE talking about eLife TV was achieved, and subscriptions increased as a result!
- More than 44,000 new subscriber households were added during the 3-month period after the viral stunt – 27% higher than the previous 3-month average
- The video delivered over 400,000 views with 700,000 minutes watched, generating thousands of comments across social platforms
- The campaign generated tons of free PR from leading online and offline titles, with total value estimated at $90,000 while actual media cost was only $3,000
Creative Execution
Once the movie started, the undercover actor answered his ringing phone and began talking loudly. When he was confronted by another patron, and just as things were about to get ugly, the actor paused the film and revealed our message onscreen “Never miss a moment with the Pause Live TV from eLife TV.”
But our job had only just begun. We needed our video stunt to go viral!
We aptly posted the video to YouTube with the provocative title “Two locals fighting in a cinema.” We then partnered with amplifiers to deliver the content on popular social platforms where users could easily share the video with their friends.
Within 48 hours it became the top trending video on YouTube in the UAE.
The press soon caught on, helped by us, resulting in huge amounts of coverage from English and Arabic titles and websites “Two locals fighting in cinema goes viral.”
Insights, Strategy and the Idea
Etisalat, was about to launch a new campaign targeting movie lovers to promote its premium TV service eLife. We needed to let consumers know about eLife’s blockbuster movies and wide range of TV series, while also highlighting the service’s live TV pause and rewind features.
A basic campaign just wasn’t going to cut it. We needed something edgy to drive consumer interest and get them talking about eLife TV with communication that was bold, innovative, and shareable.
What better place to reach movie buffs than in the cinema? And what better place than to stage a stunt?
We all know how annoying it is when someone has the nerve to accept a call and talk during a movie. In extreme circumstances fights can break out between movie goers and mobile offenders.
We hired an actor to provoke such an incident. And we got it all on film.