2018 Winners & Shortlists

The Campaign

Emirates wanted to align themselves with pride in the UAE, recognising and celebrating local stories. Insight showed the UAE is a place where dreams become a reality, a journey which Emirates emulated themselves with the ambition of becoming the number 1 airline in the world. They identified sport as the ideal vehicle to present this message. Nothing better encapsulated the ambitions of the region than that of the sports stars proud to be part of it. The journey to be the best through hard work, dedication and persistence and the ultimate goal to fulfil a dream. Emirates needed work to work with a partner who shared the nation’s passion of sport and whose audience was a match with our target. It made perfect sense to partner with ESPN, the world’s biggest sports media company, to help share this story and vision with the people of the UAE.

Creative Execution

Flying the Flag launched in November 2017 to coincide with UAE’s National Flag Day. Episode 1 was published simultaneously on ESPN.com, the world’s biggest sports site, and Emirates.com/ae. The videos were also shared on ESPN & Emirates Facebook & YouTube platforms. Each week ESPN released a new episode. This was partnered with an extensive and intuitive co-branded media campaign, composed by Emirates global media agency. This included display, video and social assets targeting sports fans and frequent travellers across the digital network of ESPN, and its parent company Disney. The athletes supported the series through their own Facebook & Instagram channels, and the content was further exposed through organic sharing from influencers, brands and news publishers. Episode 2 even played a pivotal role in the official announcement of Shadia’s signing by the WWE, with the ESPN & Emirates film broadcast on the big screen at WWE Live Abu Dhabi.

Campaign Overview • Over 3 Million people reached in the UAE • Series in excess of 1 Million video views • PR coverage across 10+ online and print publishers The campaign delivered against several key objectives. Likeability of the content (92%)* and brand recognition (93%)* both surpassed Emirates expectations. In line with the aim, the key sentiments that the series generated from viewers was ESPN & Emirates ‘fulfilling the dreams of common people’ and ‘making me feel proud about UAE’.* The Flying the Flag campaign massively exceeded expectations, and increased future consideration of Emirates with the UAE public by 2% to an outstanding 96%*. By approaching the campaign in a way that resonated with the nation and showcased the UAE’s pride, Emirates were able to establish themselves as not only the world’s number 1 airline, but the UAE’s favourite. **Kantar Millward Brown external research (2018)

The ESPN & Emirates’ Flying the Flag original content series was truly unskippable. It told engaging and inspiring stories, uncovering new stars, in a captivating and innovative way. It allowed a global brand to communicate to a local audience, through a passion-point of the region; sport. As well as innovatively delivering Emirates brand messaging the content tackled issues of diversity and inclusion and aims to inspire future generations in the UAE. A second series is already in discussion

Through its team of award winning storytellers, ESPN uncovered four talented athletes on the way to fulfilling sporting dreams. These personalities were not only local, but truly represented the DNA of Dubai, with a mixture of nationalities and cultures all connected through a conviction of drive. ESPN were passionate to tell the story of their ‘journey’; getting to where they are today, the future path, and how both the nation and Emirates have been part of that course. Whether it be the challenge of the first figure skater to wear a hijab in competition, or striving to become the inaugural female Arab in the WWE, the stories were engaging & inspiring. The result was 4 part digital docu-series, entitled Flying the Flag, exquisitely shot and produced, with a charming personal narrative running throughout. Filmed over multiple weeks the content also seamless integrated Emirates brand, product and service into the story.