2020/2021 Winners & Shortlists

Why is this work relevant for Entertainment?

Summer in the UAE spells out two things: same old routine activities AND same old advertising messages and claims by destinations promising you the ‘best summer ever’. So in our attempt to position Yas Theme Parks as the only place worthy of your summer plans, we decided to buck the trend of empty claims and tactical offers, and create Summer Says Yas – a fun, witty and edgy story-driven series that introduced Summer as a real character with a real mission and a lot of really entertaining views on how you should spend ‘him’.

Background

Situation: Summers in the UAE are hot, boring and filled with routine/cliché choices when it comes to entertainment and fun – which equals sharp declines in both sales and footfall for leisure destinations like Yas Theme Parks. Worse yet, the advertising landscape is littered with tons of ‘same-same’ ads that falsely promise people the ‘best summer ever’. Brief: Position Yas Island Theme Parks as the ultimate summer destination for UAE residents and visitors. Objectives: Reverse the trend of declining summer sales and establish Yas Theme Parks as a top of mind summer destination.

Describe the creative idea

With so many boring, same-same, cliche advertising claims and tactical offers promising you 'the best summer ever,' we asked ourselves one pivotal question: What would Summer say about all these boring routines and empty claims made in 'his' name? We then decided to actually create Summer as a real character and give him a real cause (to make sure you spend him the right way). We even gave him a catchy 'Simon Says' style catchphrase that lets people know what he endorses and where they should be this season - Summer Says Yas. In order to really troll people's summer routines, we crafted and deployed our content pieces on formats where those routines could be put under Summer's microscope - Youtube, social media, in-flight screens, malls, radio - anywhere where you might be spending summer in a non-Summer approved way.

Describe the strategy

Target Audience: UAE resident families and summer visitors from key source markets. Integration: Since our campaign needed to troll resident families in the UAE along with inbound tourists from key markets at every touch point in their summer journey, we utilized an integrated approach that was led by digital/social video content and supported by cinema, in-flight, OOH, radio, radio roadshows, on-ground activations and real-time social responses - basically, anywhere where you might be spending summer in a non-Summer approved way. Approach: Since the category was flooded with generic claims and tactical offers that rendered most audiences skeptical or unengaged, we needed to create a credible, relatable and entertaining character that nudged people to spend their summer the right way... with three little words: Summer Says Yas.

Describe the execution

Implementation: Unlike the rest of the category that focused on sales messages and traditional mediums, Summer Says Yas was an entertainment-focused online-driven and video-first platform. So we prioritized video-led formats on social and digital platforms. We used rich media, dynamic messaging, radio and OOH to support the campaign. Timeline: June 10 – Sept 2, 2019 Placement: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter. Scale: Mass awareness across local demographics with a spillover to inbound tourists.

Describe the outcome

348M IMPRESSIONS 25M VIEWS +38% REVENUES +29% AWARENESS +20% BRAND BUZZ +40% PAGE VIEWS ON THE SITE +142% ATTENDANCE FROM UAE RESIDENTS +308% TOTAL YEAR ON YEAR GROWTH