2014 Winners & Shortlists

The Campaign

Working with Seef Mall, we devised and executed a campaign that would help the mall target its core audience: Bahraini and Saudi families. The campaign was designed to help Seef Mall reconnect with its audience and at the same time, drive footfall to the mall and support tenants in the busy December period. With that in mind, we developed a talent competition for children aged between 5 and 13 years. The campaign concluded with a star-studded finale which featured not only three local celebrity judges, Mai Al Qassim, Imran Al Aradi, and DJ Outlaw, but also a performance from one of the country’s biggest rising stars, Hala Turk. The campaign overwhelmingly achieved its goals to the point where Seef Mall has installed Junior Superstars as a regular activity in its calendar. The campaign hit its main objective of connecting with the core audience and drove outstanding increases in footfall (27%) as well as revenue for the mall’s tenants (70% in some cases) and engagement (48% increase in followers instagram).

The Brief

For Seef Mall the goal was simple; reconnect with its audience (local and expat families, especially Bahraini and Saudi families) and at the same time, drive footfall to the mall and support tenants in the busy December period. We targeted children first and foremost, as they were the key to bringing their parents, siblings, and other family members back to the mall.

Results

– Footfall in the mall increased during the grand final by 27% compared to the same date of the previous year. – Revenue increase was recorded at retail and F&B outlets compared to the same period in 2012. In some cases it was up 70%. – 232 talented youngsters registered for the talent show, far exceeding the target of 100 – Judge and music producer DJ Outlaw invited the competition winner Chlea Marla to record her first single in his recording studio – Social media – Followership on Instagram increased by a whopping 48% since the launch of the campaign, and the mall has the highest number of followers compared to the competition. – 100% positive media coverage with reports praising the campaign and highlighting Seef Mall’s role in promoting local talent.

Execution

The campaign consisted of three phases; first was a two-week long registration phase, in which we invited eligible children to sign up. In the second phase we invited registrants back to perform 90 second auditions in front of three celebrity judges who selected the top 30 performances. Videos were uploaded on the mall’s instagram account and followers were able to vote for their favorite acts by liking the videos. The final phase featured a grand finale which kicked off with a performance from judge Mai Al Qassim, Bahrain’s first female R&B singer, who then joined her colleagues RJ and comedian Imran Al Aradi, and DJ and music producer DJ Outlaw in evaluating the top ten acts. The mall, overflowing with crowds, also hosted Bahraini rising star Hala Turk, who performed two of her latest hits before the judges took to the stage to announce the winner.

The Situation

Seef Mall recently found itself in fierce competition with newer malls in Bahrain; ones which the young crowds found more appealing and hip. The mall struggled to attract crowds in the way it had previously and footfall numbers fell as shoppers went elsewhere.

The Strategy

We created a talent hunt for children in the ages of 5 to 13. To appeal to a larger crowd we opened the door to children of any nationality and (almost) any talent to participate as long as they fell in the right age category. A five week long audition process in front of local celebrity judges Imran Al Aradi, Mai Al Qassim and DJ Outlaw, and online voting ensured we were able to create a genuine experience that connected the mall with its target audience in a new and exciting way.