2016 Winners & Shortlists

Creative Execution

Throughout his 4 day journey #InAbuDhabi, Ahmad stepped into the driver’s seat of our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram channels, directly sharing his experiences with our audiences through imagery, video and playful text. In order to make sure his experience was truly exceptional, we co-created his itinerary making sure it was filled with everything he was sure to love. He also enthusiastically shared countless snaps, videos and images with his own significant following each step of the way, further widening our earned influence.

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.

The Formula 1 Grand Prix Abu Dhabi is the biggest sporting and entertainment event in the Middle East. As the Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority, we needed to break through the clutter and keep our audience focused on the destination, not only the race. Rather than forcing ourselves into the newsfeed through social advertising, we wanted to earn our presence there though relatable and meaningful content. So we enlisted someone our audience trusted – Ahmad, an adored Kuwaiti instagrammer and snapchatter. And as a government entity – we did the unthinkable. We handed him the keys to our social media channels. 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!