2020/2021 Winners & Shortlists

Background

Almosafer is an online travel platform in Saudi Arabia. Think a Saudi version of Booking.com. And that’s Almosafer. It competes with the international giants among online travel platforms like Booking.com. Almosafer also faces increasing competition from local platforms like flyin.com. All travel platforms jostle for flight and hotel bookings (and market share), through persistent offers and price-offs. Despite following that category-wide strategy, Almosafer had shrunk to a smaller market share, among local brands too such as versus Flyin.com (33.2% vs. 36.1%). Now, Saudis travel a lot during Ramadan and Eid. Analysis of sales figures revealed that a good amount of Almosafer’s profits could be achieved over the crucial Ramadan and Eid period. But, Almosafer hadn’t benefitted. Its bookings in Ramadan-2018 were the lowest since inception (only 28,665 flight and 31,323 hotel bookings). A successful Ramadan and Eid would (as per norm) set the trajectory for good revenues over the year.

The Interpretation of the Challenge (30% of vote)

Ramadan is a special time of year, full of emotion, that matters to Arab consumers. With rational persuasion not working, we saw an opportunity in emotional persuasion; getting people to buy into what Almosafer believes in, so they could buy into what it was offering. We didn’t want Almosafer to overtly ‘sell’ Almosafer but to invest in emotional brand building, making it a brand Saudis loved. Almosafer’s brand purpose is, ‘Travel opens new doors for you’. We wanted to activate this purpose starting with the month of Ramadan, a month when Muslims celebrate values of togetherness, hence, travel to meet their family and friends. Now, Ramadan is also known as the Super Bowl of advertising in the Middle East. Big brands dominated big media with big bucks. How could a lesser used travel platform, with low budgets, break through during the biggest and most cluttered marketing occasion of the year?

The Insight / Breakthrough Thinking (30% of vote)

ANALYSIS, DISCOVERY AND INSPIRATION: Category: Saudi’s travel category was full of rational reasons, lacking any meaning. Brand: Almosafer encouraged Arabs to travel to places they hadn’t visited before. Occasion: Every brand competed for Ramadan share-of-voice by showing stories from/within the region. No one stepped outside the region. Consumer: People weren’t as excited about Ramadan, as people worldwide are about Christmas. What could Ramadan learn from Christmas? Culture: The world today is more divided that ever before. Even in Ramadan, a time that preaches humility, understanding and compassion, the world doesn’t seize to put down its divides. It often remains a world of “us” vs “them”. Muslims celebrate Ramadan. The world doesn’t. STRATEGIC BREAKTHROUGH: Challenge Ramadan and cultural conventions, reminding the region and the world, Muslims AND non-Muslims, that Ramadan was for everyone. Then, encouraging and enabling taking Ramadan’s spirit, to people and places who haven’t celebrated Ramadan, breakthrough the clutter.

The Creative Idea (20% of vote)

“AS FAR AS WE GO” Since the spirit of Ramadan travels as far as people who cherish it share it, we encouraged taking it places where it hasn’t been. Through an untold perspective, we took the spirit of Ramadan and the occasion of Ramadan abroad, moving away from clichés of togetherness, families around a table, acts of goodness, and the like. To herald the message, we created a moving film that follows the journey of a little Muslim girl from Saudi Arabia to the North Pole, where she wishes Ramadan Mubarak to Santa Claus. Through social media, we enabled Muslims to share the message of Ramadan to non-Muslim majority countries worldwide. Through onground activations, we enabled children to share the joy of Ramadan gifts with underprivileged kids in non-Muslim countries. And in doing so, in a world divided, we shared a Ramadan message from the Middle East to the world.

The Outcome / Results (20% of vote)

Being brave and challenging norms helped Almosafer challenge leading global and local brands (Booking.com and Flyin.com), breaking through in Ramadan: 47.8 million+ organic cross-platform social views, 7 million+ paid views; nearly 7-times more organic views than paid. 52% watched the 97% of the film. #1 Ramadan Ad Worldwide (ARY News). Featured on pan-regional TV, organically, reaching 306-million active eye-balls (out of 411-million). Generated $3.7-million earned media value; highest-ever for Almosafer. +233% brand conversations (Ramadan vs. Pre-Ramadan). Cross-channel positive sentiments: 94.6%. 73% of non-Muslims exposed to the film, said they saw Ramadan differently than before. +46% brand reputation as a socially-conscious, relevant Saudi brand. 36% brand awareness, increasing from pre-Ramadan; leading competitors, booking.com and flyin.com, declined too. Top-of-mind awareness increased too; competitors declined. +189% Ramadan and +256% Eid flight bookings (vs. 2018). +41% Ramadan and +22% Eid hotel bookings (vs. 2018). +64% market share vs. 20% KPI; global competitor declined -10%.