2020/2021 Winners & Shortlists

Why is this work relevant for Entertainment?

During the lockdown, people were consuming content at record-breaking rates. Be it doom & gloom on the news or generic feel-good messaging from brands or content on Netflix and online, audiences were hungry for unique, inspiring and relevant entertainment. As the UAE’s most iconic entertainment and concert destination, Yas Island knew that music was the most powerful way to unite people to entertain, uplift and mobilize them behind a cause. By crafting our own lyrics, we turned a message of gratitude into an inspiring anthem for hope and heroism that people could enjoy no matter who or where they were.

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

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

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 usage across streaming platforms – 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 where they could take the Frontline Heroes Pledge. This approach allowed us to merge social habits and digital targeting to create a direct online activation that led to real-world behavioral changes.

Describe the execution

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.

Describe the outcome

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