Brand | AL AIN |
Product/Service | BOTTLED WATER |
Entrant | LEO BURNETT DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES |
Category | Customer Retail / In-Store Experience |
Idea Creation
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LEO BURNETT DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
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Media Placement
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LEO BURNETT DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
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Production
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DEJA VU Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
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Why is this work relevant for Brand Experience & Activation?
The Studio Shelf has massive stopping power. It lights up the Al Ain brand and gives it visual gravity that elevates it above all competitors. In the stores where the Studio Shelf has been implemented, all other water brands pale in comparison. It has helped Al Ain to cut through the visual clutter of water displays, grabbing consumer attention and consistently drawing shoppers to our shelves first. Al Ain has ultimately become unskippable.
Al Ain is the first brand to introduce the Studio Shelf, connecting with consumers in a new way. We are curious to see which competitors might follow.
Background
Al Ain is the UAE’s number 1 water brand. However, we are under massive attack from competitors. New water brands are popping up, while existing brands are diversifying their portfolio at breakneck speeds. The competition constantly adds new SKUs with fancy-sounding claims like “zero-bromate”, “alkaline” or “sodium-free.”
Al Ain has been trying to keep up, but in the end what we really needed was to find a competitive advantage without the massive investment that comes with developing, bottling and marketing new fly-by-night products.
Describe the creative idea.
The idea was to replicate the beauty of a studio shoot in the most unlikely of locations – the shop shelf – by creating what we called the Studio Shelf. We wanted to capture the ambiance and feeling consumers get from our communication, and recreate it in-store.
Describe the strategy.
Brands spend millions on design and photography to make their products look their best in communication. Research shows that 93% of consumers consider images essential when making purchasing decisions.
The number of professionals and amount of craft that go into creating the right image, are comparable to the production of a work of art. But all the money and energy spent on making products look appealing in communication is undermined in-store. When consumers reach shop shelves in the Middle East, all water brands look the same. They are dull, boring and undifferentiated.
Ironically, the shop shelf is where the most critical purchasing decision is made. This is where consumers will do the final equation based on price, product design and brand equity.
So we decided to devise a plan that would give Al Ain a visual advantage on shelf, to capture consumers when they’re making their final purchasing decision.
Describe the execution
We collaborated with a leading photographer to create a custom in-store lighting display that mimicked the conditions of a studio shoot. This helped us to create the perfect ambience for Al Ain water in the shelf space that we were given by supermarkets, and to recreate the ideal visual appeal for our water, which consumers are used to seeing in our communication materials.
List the results.
The Studio Shelf had a capacity of 628 bottles featuring all SKUs (330ml, 500ml, 1.5L & 4 gallon). It drove higher unit sales compared to surrounding shelves, and had to be restocked every night during the 1-month trial run. Al Ain will continue to roll out Studio Shelves in all flagship retailers.
Credits
Bechara Mouzannar |
Leo Burnett |
Chief Creative Officer |
André Nassar |
Leo Burnett Dubai |
Regional Executive Creative Director |
Camilo Molina |
Leo Burnett Dubai |
Creative Director |
Andre Couto |
Leo Burnett Dubai |
Art Director |
Anton Marais |
Leo Burnett Dubai |
Senior Copywriter |
Shereen Mostafa |
Leo Burnett Dubai |
Head of Production |
Ralph Matar |
Leo Burnett Dubai |
Agency Producer |
Ramzi Sleiman |
Leo Burnett Dubai |
Regional Communication Director |
Nader Akram |
Leo Burnett Dubai |
Communication Director |
Paras Ali |
Leo Burnett Dubai |
Communication Manager |
Hoor ElShafei |
Leo Burnett Dubai |
Communication Executive |
Deja vu |
Deja vu |
Production House |
Manasvi Gosalia |
Deja vu |
Production House Executive Producer |
Pratixa Kanojia |
Deja vu |
Production House Producer |
Ayas Kandacheerakath |
Deja vu |
Director |