2016 Winners & Shortlists

The Campaign

The UAE is a country made up of 7 emirates. But most of the population doesn't know that. That's because 89 percent of them are expats. For them, the UAE is Dubai and Abu Dhabi, tall buildings, water parks, malls, more malls and golf courses. Even the very patriotic Emirati's don't venture out of the city limits much these days. So, with UAE National Day approaching, we saw an opportunity for GMC to take people off the beaten track and show them a side of their country they've never seen before. We picked two Emirati's to explore the 7 emirates in a GMC Sierra. They became the nations tour guides. The public followed their journey through weekly episodes leading up to National Day. People could choose episodes to watch by navigating a map of the UAE on a microsite. On the ground, we used Dubai International Motor Show to let people experience the road trip using Oculus Rift Virtual Reality Goggles.

The Brief

People travel half way around the world to visit amazing places, but for some reason when it comes to our own country, we barely make the effort to explore what's out there. With UAE National Day approaching, we saw an opportunity for GMC to take people off the beaten track and show them a side of their country they have never seen before to celebrate the richness of the Emirati culture.

Execution

GMC has been around the region since 1943. This has created a special bond between GMC and people from the Gulf countries. Because of this shared heritage, it made GMC the perfect brand to push the drive for people to get to know their country better. Also, the terrain in the UAE can be quite challenging. It needed a truck that could navigate desert, mountain and deep dirt terrain. It made the GMC Sierra the perfect companion for this road trip.

The GMC UAE 44 campaign achieved 20 placements in the media spanning print, online, and TV. The campaign was the main attraction at the Dubai International Motor Show’s (DIMS) GMC stand; it even garnered the attention of HH Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Al Maktoum. Key notable PR coverage for the campaign was Gulf News TV’s behind-the-scenes of the mini-series and interview with the young Emirati men. To date, the video has received a staggering of 3,635 likes on YouTube. The brand’s key message for the campaign, which focused on ‘brand heritage’, was captured across all communications and resonated particularly well with local audiences. Dubai TV covered the GMC UAE 44 campaign as part of its DIMS highlights for a total of 1min 4 sec free air time. In addition, the campaign was covered in motoring, technology, mainstream and lifestyle publications. In total the PR value for the campaign reached $7,809,290.30.

The Strategy

GMC has been around the region since 1943. This has created a special bond between GMC and people from the Gulf countries. Because of this shared heritage, it made GMC the perfect brand to push the drive for people to get to know their country better.