2017 Winners & Shortlists

The Campaign

Running under the theme of Here Today, Dubai Tomorrow, the innovative experiential marketing campaign saw Waterloo station become a living, breathing re-creation of Dubai equipped with cutting-edge technology that allowed people to experience the sights, sounds and attractions of the city right on the concourse. We aimed to create a virtual moment of escape which gave commuters the chance to win a 5 star trip to Dubai every day. Making the dream, a reality.

Creative Execution

At the heart of the campaign was an innovative experiential customer zone at Waterloo Station, allowing visitors to get up close to Dubai via interactive 360 video gaming, virtual reality displays and unique optical illusions, which saw ‘mirage’ like characters seemingly appear on the concourse, from skydivers and camels to scuba divers and falconers. Through influencer engagement and radio partnerships, #DubaiTomorrow was amplified nationwide driving people to Waterloo and the bespoke microsite: dubaitomorrow.com, both with daily chances to win trips to Dubai, open nationwide.To build anticipation of the activation in the run up to the event, we partnered with Instagram genius Paperboyo to create eight brand new images giving iconic London landmarks a distinct Dubai twist.

Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results

8,933 engagements at the stand 60,739 hits to the dubaitomorrow.com website 7,286 registrations, to date, to the database 12.1 million social media engagements As a result of the above, bookings to promoted hotels during the activation saw an increase of 154% YOY and an increase of 146% YOY flight bookings to Dubai during the activation. Total PR reach of 60.5million

Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service

Tasked with challenging the negative perceptions and helping to build the proposition beyond the shallow knowledge of Dubai in the UK, we set about executing an 8-day activation in a high-footfall area, with brand domination through advertising, radio and influencers, giving guests mass engagement opportunities both physically and online, with the goal of converting interest into holidays. Using the grey concourse of Waterloo Station as our platform, we launched ‘Here today, Dubai tomorrow!’

Our strategy was to ensure the campaign went beyond the static stand at Waterloo and that engagement reached a wider audience offline and online. We ensured that the competition to win a trip to Dubai was available to everyone in the UK and ran a full communications marketing campaign to create awareness, generate intrigue and excitement, as well as giveaway eight trips to Dubai to lucky winners nationwide. People throughout the UK could participate online and had access to there own supply of prizes. For those engaging with the live activation stand, we provided small giveaways, relevant to the life of commuters such as Oystercard holders. The gamification aspect of the stand also greatly appealed to commuters as a break from their reality.