2015 Winners & Shortlists

Results and Effectiveness

While respecting the Saudi mindset of doing things their way, and staying true to the Infiniti DNA of doing things differently, the results of this campaign exceeded set KPIS: Qualitative KPI’s • Buzz: The most talked-about premium brand in KSA (source: map by SYSOMOS – July 2014) • Online mentions: 35% of total share of mentions (the highest between all competitors) (source: map by SYSOMOS – July 2014) • Facebook: Highest engagement rate in premium automotive category (source: Social bakers) • Twitter: The highest twitter engagement for INFINITI global (source: twitter analytics) • Earned media: $550,000 worth of earned media

Creative Execution

Idea & Strategy Rather than bring global assets with us, or put KSA under the generalized banner of ‘The Middle East’, we decided to put our brand in the hands of Saudis; to ask them to launch us; from Saudis to Saudis, under the banner ‘It’s time for Infiniti’. It was a risky approach but for a new contender, the easy way is not the right one: we were going to do things the Saudi way. Our launch strategy had three phases: 1. A launch by Saudis to Saudis, to have the nation shouting, “It’s time for Infiniti” 2. A brand campaign to introduce the cars and brand personality to Saudis, on their terms. 3. A thank-you reply by Infiniti to the people, confirming the brand promise

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

While Infiniti was gaining popularity across the Middle East, it was almost non-existent in the biggest potential market, Saudi Arabia. In 2014, Infiniti wanted to launch properly in KSA Our challenge was to find a connection between our global brand and the local Saudi consumer. Behaving as a provocative brand is an essential part of Infiniti’s DNA, giving the brand a strategic edge to capturing their consumer’s attention. But KSA is renowned as a conservative country where tribal customs and traditions remain essential parts of daily life. Our challenge was to understand and speak authentically, within Saudi culture, yet stay true to Infiniti’s non-traditional DNA.