2016 Winners & Shortlists

Brief Explanation

We enlisted someone our audience trusted and who had never been to Abu Dhabi before – Ahmad, an adored Kuwaiti blogger, instagrammer and snapchatter. And as a government entity – we did the unthinkable. We handed him the keys to our social media channels and gave him direct access to our Visit Abu Dhabi audience. Then we gave him the experience of a lifetime – 4 days #InAbuDhabi filled with his favorite culinary, adventure and cultural activities…and the F1 of course! Throughout his journey, Ahmad not only stepped into the driver’s seat of our social channels, but he also enthusiastically shared countless snaps, videos and images with his own significant following, driving a direct dialogue about Abu Dhabi as a tourist destination.

Creative Execution

The plan was executed in real time over the course of 4 days (September 26, 2015 – September 29, 2015) throughout Abu Dhabi. Prior to his trip, we developed an Abu Dhabi itinerary with Ahmad, making sure it encompassed his interests and passions. Upon his arrival in Abu Dhabi for F1 weekend, we handed him the keys to our social media channels and accompanied him around Abu Dhabi. Ultimately, through a blended paid, earned and owned approach, we served our targeted audience highly enticing and relevant content at exactly a time when they cared about Abu Dhabi (during the F1).

Results

Through one man’s story, we were able to show – not tell – audiences that Abu Dhabi is an exceptional adventure and cultural destination. In only 4 days, we achieved: 21 million+ social media impressions 620,000+ social media engagements 10,000 new fans/followers across Visit Abu Dhabi social media channels Double the engagement rate compared to F1 weekend 2014 Our official tourism hashtag - #InAbuDhabi – which was promoted by Ahmad, attained 388 million+ social media impressions and was used nearly 30,000 times December 2015 (month after F1) saw a 13% increase in visitors compared with December 2014.