2016 Winners & Shortlists

Brief Explanation

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. 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.

Results and Effectiveness

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.

Creative Execution

Throughout his 4 day journey #InAbuDhabi, Ahmad stepped into the driver’s seat of our Visit Abu Dhabi Facebook, Twitter and Instagram channels, directly sharing his experiences with our audiences. But we stayed in control of the social advertising (media execution). Since authentic content and story were at the center of the creative idea, we maintained this approach in our social advertising execution. We focused solely on promoting Ahmad’s content in the Facebook, Instagram and Twitter mobile Newsfeed. We served our targeted audience highly enticing and relevant content at exactly a time when they cared about Abu Dhabi (during the F1). We expertly integrated paid, owned and earned to reach optimal results.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

We needed to influence “status seekers” – 25 - 35 year-old GCC males with interests in travel, adventure and luxury. Finding the right influencer to take over our channels was critical. We needed his audience to match ours. Through content analysis, audience assessments and interviews, we found the perfect partner – a hugely popular Kuwaiti lifestyle and fashion snapchatter and Instagramer - Ahmad. Then we gave him an experience that matched our audience’s interests – from water sports to luxurious restaurants to the F1 itself – so that they could see themselves there; so that they would want to visit Abu Dhabi too.