2018 Winners & Shortlists

LETOUTTHESOUR

Bronze

Case Film

Presentation Image

BrandMARS WRIGLEY CONFECTIONARY
Product/ServiceSKITTLES SOUR
EntrantMEDIACOM MENA Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
CategoryExcellence in Audience Engagement & Distribution Strategy
Idea Creation MEDIACOM MENA Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Media Placement MEDIACOM MENA Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Additional Company SWEETWATER COMMUNICATION Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

The Campaign

With two-thirds of candy/ confectionary purchase decisions made at the shelf, we knew that presence in-store would be key to capturing attention. Therefore, our big idea was to connect youth with the story of Sours at the most immediate touchpoint: the packaging itself. To gain visibility and win the aisle, we created a first-of-its-kind product launch giving young people the chance ‘Buy One and Get-Fun-Free’! We drew inspiration from a brand that like Sours, encourages people to reveal their true self, Party game – ‘Cards Against Humanity’. A brand who like Skittles enjoys poking holes everyday realties. So we designed our own version and named it The ‘LetOutTheSour’ Card game, placing it as our brand beacon. Labelled as a ‘fun game for sour people’, our creative packaging would provide youth audiences in the Region with the perfect opportunity to cut loose.

Creative Execution

We knew the content of the game was the star of the show so we let the cards do the talking for generating buzz and prompting audiences in-store. In KSA, we partnered with the ‘Sa7i’ team where the likes of Khaled Al Farraj, Ibrahim Al-Bukairi and Amira Al-Abbas played the game on their hugely popular Youtube show. Not only was this a great way of demonstrating how the game was played but it was the first time these stars were brought together for a one-off production. For the UAE, we opted for audio and brought LetOutTheSour to life across three of the Countries biggest radio stations (Channel 4, Radio 4 and Al Rabia) where breakfast show teams played the game LIVE on air with their listeners. Finally, Skittles owned assets were utilized throughout, encouraging fans/followers and the Regions key influencers to share their funniest gameplay moments.

We created a new platform that encapsulated everything that Skittles stands for. We introduced a new generation to non-mobile gaming and created genuine standout in the shopping aisle. The impact on the Skittles business was equally impressive: We delivered a 20% plus uplift in incremental sales in KSA and a rise of 24% in the UAE (Source: Nielsen July 2017). We added an additional 1.5% to Skittles value share in KSA and 0.7% in the UAE. The instore game sold out in just 10 days – 15,000 limited-edition packs literally walked out the door by consumers desperate for our game. Our ‘LetOutTheSour’ gameplay video featuring the Sa7i team not only gained 1.4m views but also delivered nearly 90% positivity and an engagement rate of 4.39% (nearly 400% higher than industry benchmarks). At a time when digital games continue to make analogue classics obsolete, we rewrote the gaming rulebook.

We needed to launch new Skittles Sours by doing what the brand does best – by poking holes in the veneer of the ordinary and providing audiences with an endless source of entertainment. With the development of ‘LetOutTheSour’ and a first-of-its-kind new product launch, we succeeded. During a time when young people continue to entertain themselves with digital games, we rewrote the gaming rulebook by resurrecting an analogue classic. The ‘LetOutTheSour’ Card game enabled us to firmly place the brand-in-the-hand of the Regions youth. So its no surprise our instore game sold out in 10 days!

With the original game described as ‘political incorrect’, it was important our Sours version not only raised eyebrows but stayed on-brand at the same time. Therefore, we partnered with Emirati comedian Ali Al Sayed to write our content in both Arabic and English. Described by Toastmasters Magazine as ‘one of the most influential comedians in the Arab world’, Ali was the perfect producer to ensure our cards provided an endless source of entertainment with localized places, objects and phrases. To drive action and repeat purchase, we then packaged everything up as a collectable series of five games with distribution across the biggest supermarkets/hypermarkets such as Carrefour, HyperPanda and Danube. The in-store promotion was simple - buy any pack of new Skittles Sours (174g) and receive a set of the cards for free. In addition, we created a VIP version of the game for key influencers in KSA and the UAE.

Credits

Name Company Role
Nick Tapley MediaCom MENA Regional Director of Innovation
Bashar Nizam Sweetwater Communications Account Director
Ali Al Sayed Dubomedy Founder
Mina Liccione Dubomedy Founder