2017 Winners & Shortlists

#UNEXPECTED

BrandGENERAL MOTORS
Product/ServiceCHEVROLET MALIBU
EntrantCARAT Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
CategoryDurable Consumer Goods, including Cars
Idea Creation CARAT Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Idea Creation 2 COMMONWEALTH Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Media Placement CARAT Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

The Campaign

Our creative idea was based on consumer insights. Our target audience were ‘Successful Strivers’ – just like the Malibu, a mid-range vehicle that was reaching to the next level with luxury, comfort and space. These are people who stay current and connected with peers and sources they trust. We knew we needed smart and purposeful content to connect with the audience. With a strong sense of identity, honest and trusted was the only way to go. Mass media campaigns don’t resonate with this audience or their consumption preferences and they are influenced by things that break away from the everyday – they like exclusivity and standing out, forming their own opinions and are the first to try out new things. As opinion formers, we wanted to connect with this audience to help launch a reappraisal of what the Chevy Malibu stands for.

Creative Execution

We launched the campaign with unbranded creative, from an unbranded handle. A car with no name, made by an unknown brand. An #unexpected mystery began on Twitter and Instagram to discover what Car X was and who was behind it! We kept the audience in the dark in a state of guessing limbo, promoting all the great new features of the Car X without once revealing the truth behind its phantom. Using unbranded conversation cards on Twitter we kept the conversation going, showing imagery and asking questions ‘Do you think you can afford it?’, ‘Do you want to know who’s behind it?’ After a week of guessing, users had to tweet to unlock the mystery of the car by coming together and unveiling the all new Chevrolet Malibu!

The pre-reveal stage of the campaign resulted in a staggering 46,000 site visits (against a target of 8,750) with 433 leads delivered - amounting to $8.25 million in potential revenue for the client! As a comparison, 2016 benchmarks against other Chevrolet car lines resulted in 263 leads (Spark) and 276 leads (Camaro) respectively. Desirability: 3.5MM+ Post Views, almost half a million per day! 750,000 Video Views 76% video retention (viewers watching to the end) - against an average benchmark of 39%. Conversations: 5000 mentions on twitter in 24 hours, #unexpected trending in Saudi Arabia Engagement: Tweet Engagements - 310K Instagram Engagement rate - 16%, category average 15% Cost per Rich Engagement of less than $0.01, target of $0.23) Social Sentiment: 90% Positive, average of 70% These results are comparable and many cases an improvement on a full 360 degree campaign running across 2 months and with 30 x the budget!

This campaign demonstrates how working with our media partners to come up with new, innovative ways to reach a notoriously savvy audience who are immune to traditional mass media. By taking a completely different approach to launching a new car model, we were able to break through the clutter that positioned the all-new Chevrolet sedan as both desirable and affordable. Using an original and exciting unbranded digital launch campaign that included a global and regional first with Twitter, achieving ground breaking results for the brand in just 8 days.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

The strategy was to challenge the existing brand perception, by entirely removing the brand. This approach would allow for an unbiased evaluation, creating intrigue and cultural conversations through an unbranded newcomer. We challenged Car X to become what it is, not what is has been or is supposed to be. Our strategy was to use unfamiliar communications to heighten the element of surprise – grabbing users’ attention and breaking from the mundane, challenging social and automotive convention to create social buzz around the car launch. By creating WOW moments within social channels, moments of interruption, we would create an element of surprise that engaged audiences to create the world in which they think Car X belongs, with no pre-conceived notions.

Credits

Name Company Role
Jad Noujeim Carat Media Director
Anas Diab Carat Digital Director
Bhavana Gowda Carat Media Manger
Makram Daouk Commonwealth // McCann Business Director
Jesse Armstrong Commonwealth // Mc Cann Account Director
Farah Abi Saab Commonwealth // Mc Cann Integrated Account Manager
Conan Gregory Commonwealth // Mc Cann Account Manager