2015 Winners & Shortlists

The Campaign

Consumers in the GCC are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their media consumption, and the region has witnessed a growing appetite for branded entertainment. Branded content & brand experiences have all the attributes of traditional media with the great benefit of interactivity and brand recall. With social media fueling the need for more brand experiences, Gillette had to cut through the clutter by investing in this form of advertising as a way to increase awareness and engagement among its consumers. Relevant existing content platforms in the region were hard to come across and local productions that target young Arab males were virtually impossible to find. Furthermore, given that content in the region is mostly syndicated, Gillette saw an opportunity to create its own experience platform & produce original content. During the Gillette Future Champs campaign, branded entertainment in the region was subject to the similar restrictions as traditional advertising. Content needed be culturally sensitive and abide by the rules and regulations of the governing bodies across the GCC. Inappropriate religious, sexual, and political references were strictly forbidden.

Results

Look like a Champ and Play like a Champ was Gillette’s theme for its Future Champs Football tournament, combining the passion for football and the desire to be confident. Our goal was to reinforce that good grooming is a factor of success and translate that onto the football field. For 6 months, Gillette recruited young football fans across KSA & UAE to be part of the Gillette Future Champs football tournament. Narrated through six 3-minute video segments distributed across screens, the story unfolded in digital form on Koora.com as well as the big screen on special segments within Sada Maleb and MENA sportsman himself Mustafa Al Agha. GFC was integrated into big sport stories, elevating our young men to the status of their idols. They even played amongst their local idols; Mustafa Bassas and Omar Abdulrahman who played mentor. The GFC culminated with an all-out tournament at Dubai Mall.

Gillette Fusion Proglide, the most premium razor in the market needed to engage with young males. The traditional route of giving them a lecture about grooming was not going to cut it. We needed to give them an experience they were proud to be part of and share with others. Gillette, therefore, decided to walk with them on their journey to manhood through their passion, their passion for Football. Recognizing that playing Football is part of their DNA, Gillette created Future Champs, a football championship aimed at coaching youth and helping them develop their football skills.

The results were as great as ProGlide’s shave. Through the Future Champs Tournament Gillette was able to: • expand reach exponentially to 69% of total point of market entry specific target • score 18% conversion rate, one of the highest in the region • increase engagement on social media assets by 37% • witness strong systems segment share growth driven by Fusion ProGlide to 25% .