2015 Winners & Shortlists

The Campaign

In 2014 in MENA, Fanta faced a David vs. Goliath situation. Fanta’s competitors own a significant share of the market as well as the share of voice, with media budgets that were way higher than Fanta’s. Like we had effectively reinvented our formula in 2013, we needed to now reinvent our strategy by focusing on distinctive engagement ideas that would amplify every connection and every dollar that we spent. In terms of connection points Fanta had previously focused on TV and sampling activations. And both have proven to not impact the brand’s success. In the region, on-ground activations and platforms work. We needed to own a meaningful on-ground, real world platform based on untapped teen relevant insights.

Results

We created FANTA MASTERS: A unique, first-of-its-kind gaming platform across MENA for teens. Multi-player. Multi-platform. Multi-cities. We first created a series of Fanta branded tournaments across the region to recognize and celebrate teen gamers. A series of entertaining TV and online films invited and challenged teens by showcasing the skills needed to be a Fanta Master, in a fun and teen-friendly manner. More teen gamers were reached and invited via Radio, Print, Outdoor, Mall activations, In-store, Website and digital games. We forged content partnerships with the best gaming brands that are leaders in the region. We created exclusive cans with PlayStation4 and Fanta Masters branding that became teen gamers’ fuel in the tournaments. And as the tournaments kicked off in Olympic-like grand arenas at key events across the region, we engaged tens of thousands of teens; as they tested their gaming skills against each other developing more talents and crowning new masters. We invited celebrity gamers and influencers to the tournaments to interact with as well as compete with teens, creating more excitement. The most exciting tournament of them all was the One Million Dirham tournament, where gamers competed for an unprecedented, never-seen-before prize amount, sponsored by a Sheikh from the ruling family, costing Fanta ZERO dollars. We also brought the games to teens across key teen hangouts such as: Gaming Arcades, Malls, Electronic retailers, Clubs, Internet cafes and Universities, through fun activations, such as Score a Goal. Score a Fanta, setting the world of teens into play. For the first time in the region, a platform from another brand was integrated into McDonalds’ menu as we created a meal called The Gamer’s Meal that became one of the hottest selling items on the menu. Fanta became a favourite and we experienced a sampling frenzy.

In the region, with temperatures exceeding 45 degree Centigrade for 9 months of the year, teens are restricted to find opportunities for play in indoor activities and entertainment. This coupled with teens’ need for adrenaline and to express themselves in competitive environment, has led to GAMING becoming a major passion point in the culture, as well as a legitimate and popular sport amongst teens. So, to engage and recruit Arab teens via a meaningful, sustainable and distinctive platform that’d last all year long vs. one-off branded activations, Fanta owned GAMING GAMING to CREATE MORE PLAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST.

(1) Half a million samples (2) Brand Love: +55% (3) Product Consideration: +53% (4) Weekly Consumption: +71% (5) Refreshing attributes: +214% (6) Great Taste attributes: +69% (7) Growth for Fanta in the soft drinks category: +20% (8) Growth for Fanta in the fruit flavors segment: +13% (9) Facebook fans increased from 130,000 to 530,000 (10) Twitter followers increased to 100,000 in just a few weeks, an excellent achievement when compared with the benchmark of 200,000 followers on Coca-Cola’s global gaming Twitter