2016 Winners & Shortlists

Brief Explanation

The UAE does not have an established pop music industry. All the music played on the radio come from other countries (except for traditional Arabic music). Even the Filipino radio stations import music from the Philippines. What’s more, local-based musicians cannot simply submit their music for airplay. All stations have a strict policy of playing only music that comes from approved labels and distributors. But with its “Tropa For Life” campaign, du managed to place a UAE-produced hip hop track into the mainstream, due to immense demand from the Filipino community. The song began as the soundtrack for a commercial, eventually becoming a full-length track with a music video. It now has various remixes and is constantly requested on the radio. But best of all, considering the target audience, it is now a karaoke hit in the UAE.

Creative Execution

The film was launched on facebook and youtube, and aired on The Filipino Channel, the most popular Filipino satellite channel. Social media demand led to the soundtrack being released on soundcloud.com as a free download, along with a music video. Soon, the song was also being remixed by popular artists in Dubai, becoming a regular club request. The soundcloud page hosted these remixes for people to download. A special media idea was also employed, with the knowledge that at the UAE’s numerous retail outlets, malls and restaurants, the sound system is controlled by the predominantly Filipino staff. Through a direct-mail incentive, Filipino employees ensured that the song was regularly played in their outlets.

Results

There are approximately 800,000 Filipinos in the UAE. Within 3 days of launching, the online film generated 417,000 views, 4,600 likes and over 1,700 shares on facebook alone. The daily target for product acquisition was 1,000. During the entire first month of the campaign, daily acquisition was over 2,000 (200% the intended target).