2017 Winners & Shortlists

AL JAY AFDAL

BrandMOBILY
Product/ServiceTELECOM
EntrantMULLENLOWE MENA Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
CategoryExcellence in Music Video
Idea Creation MULLENLOWE MENA Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Idea Creation 2 INITIATIVE MENA Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Media Placement INITIATIVE MENA Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

The Campaign

Taking a leaf from the nation’s Vision 2030, Mobily couldn’t have found a better time to deliver the campaign, “Al Jay Afdal” or “The best is yet to come.” In an attempt to support the new talk-of-the-town- the young Bandar, Mobily reached out to some of the biggest names in the music scene of Saudi Arabia; the XFactor winner Hamza and renowned composer Majed Alessa; along with the YouTube sensation Youssef Al Dakhil. Together they were tasked to create a song, an anthem to cheer for Bandar. They also featured in the music video that captures their journey to finding Bandar. This was followed by the runaway success of a new song created by the same trio, starring Bandar as a new symbol of hope for the nation.

Creative Execution

Just before Ramadan, we partnered with three Saudi celebrities - Hamza, winner of Middle East X Factor, Majed Al Eissa, the renowned music composer and YouTube sensation Youssef El Dakheil. The three popular Saudi cultural icons recorded a song and produced a music video showing the search for Bandar and a presentation of their song to him. Finally, on Eid, Bandar sang his heart out and recorded the track, delivering the perfect performance at the perfect time, symbolizing the voice of hope and positivity. Sophisticated retargeting and timed releases of different content pieces linked digital platforms together and Bandar’s recording was launched on multiple music and video platforms, again promoted to Saudi’s who had followed the story from the start, maximizing our chances of the campaign catching fire, just as his original story had done earlier in the year.

Mobily’s market share saw a substantial increase by 3.5% during Ramadan. Post-campaign, brand-likeability increased by 6% along with an increase of 2.5% in brand-consideration post-Ramadan, and another 4.5% in the following month. The Mobily song ‘El Jay Afdal’ scaled the charts with over 14 million video-views and over 600,000 songs playing on the different digital channels. On Anghami, the song was on the top charts in KSA for several weeks surpassing famous singers with more than 508K streams – 70% more than any song during the same period. The sequel Eid song sung by Bandar was an even bigger hit, with more than 4.5 million views on YouTube alone. Furthermore, the engagement rate on Mobily’s social-media channels was skyrocketing with 18%, 15 times more than any competitor during the same period. A high video likeability of 88% greater than industry average of 70%. Many users thanked Mobily on social-media.

Entertainment that inspires. Music and Reality Television forms the core of Mobily’s digital campaign. The content for this campaign was created as a result of the collaborative efforts of Saudi talent pool in singers, writers, composers and music producers. The resulting response to the campaign, across the channels, was a testament to its rich and thoughtful entertainment value.

Mobily, a brand that epitomizes connectivity, wanted to connect with its users in a way that is both relevant and inspiring. A brand that took it upon itself to be the voice of reason and hope for the people of Saudi Arabia. Mobily was the first to identify a positive tomorrow in Bandar’s life and used this real story to demonstrate “the best is yet to come”. With a smart and relevant use of celebrities, not only did Mobily redeem Bandar’s dreams, but it also gave people a positive outlook in these trying times.

Credits

Name Company Role
Ali Alzbdani MullenLowe MENA Executive Creative Director
Ali Alzbdani MullenLowe MENA Executive Creative Director
Muhammad Alhusaini MullenLowe MENA Senior Copywriter
Muhammad Alhusaini MullenLowe MENA Senior Copywriter
Khaled Farid MullenLowe MENA General Manager - Client Servicing
Ziad Ghawi MullenLowe MENA Business Director
Haitham Elmanawati MullenLowe MENA Account Director
Fadi Kadou MullenLowe MENA Senior Account Manager
Fahad Almaghrabi Initiative Media Digital Director
Tarek Sharafeddine Initiative Media Media Director