2020/2021 Winners & Shortlists

Why is this work relevant for Direct?

Direct is all about action and mobilization. During the pandemic, the UAE’s bravest leapt into action and mobilized against COVID-19. Although these frontline heroes earned our admiration, Yas Island saw an opportunity to make a direct connection with people. Instead of a typical ad, we created an anthem that recognized heroes around us. We then invited people to tag real-life heroes and honor them online. We also directed audiences to a microsite where they took the Frontline Heroes Pledge – a guide empowering them to take action and lighten the load on our frontline workers by being safe, responsible citizens.

Background

As the UAE’s leading leisure, entertainment and tourism destination, Yas Island was amongst the hardest hit during the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown – no theme parks, no concerts, no people, no connection to the rest of the UAE. The island was as isolated as everyone else – our only hope of making a comeback was in supporting our frontline heroes and inspiring everyday citizens. Our brief started out as a challenge to stay top-of-mind at a time when comms clutter was at an all-time high and entertainment destinations like Yas Island were the last thing people could think of. We needed to entertain, inspire and stand above the noise all at once. Beyond staying top-of-mind, Yas Island is a high-profile, government-owned entity – so it had a duty to support the country’s drive to uplift people, support frontline initiatives and keep our industry relevant in the public dialogue.

Describe the creative idea (30% of vote)

In a nutshell, our campaign revolved around a song/music video that turned into an online anthem that turned into a movement that turned into a globally covered honoring initiative. We wanted to create a tribute to the frontline heroes that could stand above the clutter, connect with a large number of people, inspire action and hope without sounding preachy or cliché... and we wanted it to have replay value and longevity throughout the pandemic.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

During lockdown, people were consuming record-breaking amounts of online content. Our research revealed that most searched content fell into two categories: ‘doom-scrolling’ or generic ‘feel-good’ stories from brands and news outlets. We also noticed a dramatic rise in streaming platform usage – music and video content were our audiences’ lockdown coping tools. Taking these consumption habits into account along with the UAE’s median age of 36 years, our campaign needed to be bold yet relatable; hip yet timeless. Since our audience lived online, we created a music video that entertained and mobilized people on YouTube, FB & IG. Our anthem resonated as entertainment while inspiring people to nominate real-life heroes online. We even directed people to a microsite to take the Frontline Heroes Pledge. This approach merged social habits and digital targeting to create a direct online activation that led to real behavioral changes. CTA: Salute & Take the Pledge

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

We launched our anthem on social media and YouTube. With limited media push, our homegrown anthem struck a chord with online audiences, news outlets and government media entities. We then turned our anthem into a nomination drive where online audiences tagged real-life heroes. We even re-targeted viewers with a direct message that invited them to visit our microsite. On the site, users took The Frontline Heroes Pledge – a specially crafted commitment that empowered people to do their part. By following the Pledge’s safety guidelines, audiences were now helping keep the frontliners safe. The campaign culminated in a globally covered ceremony where hundreds of frontline heroes were honored on the island during the F1 and UFC Fight Island. The campaign ran at the peak of lockdown restrictions across the UAE in Q2. Despite extremely limited production and media budgets, the campaign’s success carried it until the end of the year.

List the results (30% of vote)

The campaign struck the right chord with the people, government entities, and more importantly our frontline heroes. 12 million+ Impressions $ 2,000,000+ Earned Media 4 million+ Views & Engagements Thousands of pledges taken Brands like UFC and Abu Dhabi Grand Prix played it at their venues The anthem made global headlines

Please tell us about the social behaviour and / or cultural insights that inspired your campaign

The UAE is a highly patriotic country. So, the traditional image of a hero is often limited to army and police officers. During the COVID-19 outbreak, medical workers also rightfully attained hero status. But what most people didn’t realize is that there were many more varieties of frontline heroes helping us get through this. Being a very patriotic culture, people in the UAE also felt a duty to do their part... they just weren’t sure how they can help. So our anthem played two roles: expanding our view of what makes a frontline hero; and inspiring everyday citizens to be heroes in their own way. Given the young, diverse, multi-cultural nature of the UAE, and the popularity of Hip Hop in the country, we knew that a powerful, heartfelt music video would create an instant connection with content-consuming audiences stuck at home.