2015 Winners & Shortlists

THE WHEEL

BrandVIVA BAHRAIN
Product/Service4G NETWORK
EntrantMEMAC OGILVY & MATHER W.L.L.; BAHRAIN Manama, BAHRAIN
CategoryAmbient Media: Large Scale
Entrant Company MEMAC OGILVY & MATHER W.L.L.; BAHRAIN Manama, BAHRAIN
Advertising Agency MEMAC OGILVY & MATHER W.L.L.; BAHRAIN Manama, BAHRAIN
Production Company TALKING PICTURES Manama, BAHRAIN

The Brief

When you’re the last entrant in a market that’s small and driven strictly by price-oriented promotions advertised through traditional media, there’s only one way to overpower your competition and emerge as the officially recognized No.1 telecom network in the country. Do things the unconventional way. In keeping with this ‘untraditional’ approach, VIVA asked us to create a clutter-breaking idea that would demonstrate the superiority of its 4G LTE Broadband offering with the aim of acquiring new customers. Especially because its two closest competitors (Batelco & Zain) had the same offers on the same product.

Creative Execution

To drive more enquiries for VIVA’s 4G LTE Broadband Packages we created an idea the audience strongly related to. Playing on the insight that Bahrainis love the movies, we created the ‘buffering’ stunt. We tied up with CineCo – the island’s largest cinema operator, to create a ‘fake beginning’ to every movie, which played at the start of every film. While playing, a ‘buffering wheel’ appeared, leaving our audience as frustrated as when their devices buffer videos at low speeds. Just as the crowd reacted, our message flashed. The audiences acknowledged the ingenuity of the idea because they connected with it.

Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective.

The idea stemmed from a simple insight: Bahrainis love going to the movies. This gave us the perfect opportunity to get the audience to truly experience the benefits of VIVA’s product. The average multiplex has 17 halls, 200 seats per hall and plays 5 daily shows. Do the math and you have a captive audience that averages 13,000 on the lower side, per day. Now take that number and multiply it by 2, which are the two largest multiplexes in Bahrain. We had the undivided attention of an audience that even ‘print’ media couldn’t guarantee.

Results

Because VIVA is strategically located in every mall & multiplex, we were able to generate substantial enquiries. From the 450,000 movie buffs targeted, 3.2% of them enquired about VIVA’s 4G LTE Broadband Packages via our stores or call centre number - (based on numbers from the first week of running the campaign). The shared frustration and then acknowledgment of the live audience maximized the impact of this carefully timed stunt. By running this spot after the lights had dimmed when people were expecting their movie, we ensured maximum message relevance and media impact.

Credits

Name Company Role
Johan Ohlson Memac Ogilvy Bahrain Creative Director
Dan Shepherd/Smith Memac Ogilvy Bahrain Client Service Director
Shyam Unni Memac Ogilvy Bahrain Planner
Divyan Kriplani Memac Ogilvy Bahrain English Copywriter
Saadique Waggie Memac Ogilvy Bahrain Associate Creative Director
Gaurav Paul Memac Ogilvy Bahrain Account Director
Alya Janahi Memac Ogilvy Bahrain Account Manager
Degal Pinto Memac Ogilvy Bahrain Associate Creative Director