2020/2021 Winners & Shortlists

IMAGINE A #WORLDWITHOUTPHOTOGRAPHY

BrandXPOSURE INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVAL
Product/ServiceXPOSURE FESTIVAL 2019
EntrantNATIONAL NETWORK COMMUNICATIONS Sharjah, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Idea Creation NATIONAL NETWORK COMMUNICATIONS Sharjah, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Media Placement NATIONAL NETWORK COMMUNICATIONS Sharjah, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
PR NATIONAL NETWORK COMMUNICATIONS Sharjah, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Production NATIONAL NETWORK COMMUNICATIONS Sharjah, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Why is this work relevant for Integrated?

To spread the world about #worldwithoutphotography, our campaigns harnessed all possible mediums, including newspapers, TVC, social media, billboards, digital, and influencers. We invited the world to imagine how frustrating and mundane a world without photography is. We wanted the conversation to be as scaled and as inclusive as possible. All platforms were running in parallel, like a well-oiled machine; they were all working simultaneously, in synergy, to reach the target audience and engage it.

Background

We have been born in a world where photos are accessible to everyone. Photography is our reference to moments captured; it is our medium to store the emotions associated with these moments, and it proves universal truths about the world. The number of photographers worldwide cannot be gauged. Yet, based on approximate estimations, photographers of the world are around 75.3 billion. So, it was time to speak about photography from a whole new perspective. By tapping on a different form of demand versus supply - we need photography, therefore, we ask for it - we wanted to introduce Xposure internationally by launching a fully-fledged campaign that touches on these intimate feelings. Our objective was to raise awareness around the festival, by highlighting the importance of photography itself. We also wanted to reach photographers worldwide and open a scaled conversation about the importance of photography.

Describe the creative idea

We have been born in a world where photos are accessible to everyone. Photography is our visual reference of the past. As its name entails - a world without photography - this campaign sets the audience on a journey towards an image-free world. By tapping on a different form of demand versus supply - we need photography, therefore, we ask for it, we wanted to highlight the importance of photography as an artform and a medium of human expression. The campaign asks: What Would A World Without Photography Look Like? And, it explores the different facets of such a world. If we could not learn about the world that once was, or revisit a previous memory, how will we visually-sustain our knowledge of things, places, and people? That being said, in a world without photography, it's easier to forget, not remember.

Describe the strategy

Imagine a #worldwithoutphotography invites people, acclaimed photographers, thinkers, artists, amateurs, to look at photography as a powerful tool; it identifies moments, faces, historical events, etc. We utilized social media, digital platforms, influencers, newspapers, TVC, and billboards, to spread the word around #worldwithoutphotography. To kick off the campaign, we approached influencers by going into Xposure's database and contacted over 50,000 worldwide photographers, via a newsletter, asking them to share the social media blank post, which read 'this is not a blank post, this is a photo,' in order to propel the engagement on the campaign.

Describe the execution

The campaign kicked off on September 11, 2019, with the UAE waking up to find that its top tier newspapers had published an edition whose front and back covers were imageless. While the headline read 'Imagine A World Without Photography,' the body journeyed through the realms of this world. Simultaneously, social media shared the blank post 'This is Not a Blank Post. This is a Photo,' which asked the people the share it and explain what a world without photography would look to them. We approached over 50,000 photographers worldwide to share this post, and so they did. Our digital ads were running from day one until the last day of the event, which fell on September 25. Our billboards filled the streets of the UAE, with a sign that features the copy 'This is Not a Blank Space. This is an Ad.'

List the results

On the digital side of the campaign, the results were as follows; Website clicks 9,684, overall Reach:18M; 76,662 shares on the hashtag #worldwithoutphotography, from 16 countries; more than 625K views of the campaign's TVC. The 360 campaign has successfully gained more than 20M online impressions and 18M online reach through social media platforms only. The campaign was shared by influencers, photographers, and the public to reach more than 5,000 Instagram participation and increased Xposure’s Instagram fan-base with an approximate of 5,000 followers. The 65% increase in footfall indicates the success of our pre-event efforts in spreading awareness and increasing intent to attend the event.

Credits

Name Company Role
Youssef Al Taweel NNCPR CEO
Fadia Daouk NNCPR PR Director
Mohamed Nader NNCPR Digital Creative and Film Director
Khaled Yaseen NNCPR Content Director
Sami Al Taweel NNCPR Head of Media Relations
Muhammad Abuarab NNCPR Head of Arabic Editors
Rawan Al Shalaldeh NNCPR Head of Social Media
Swati Sengupta NNCPR Head of English Writers
Mohammad Okily NNCPR Head of Design
Abeer Al Mouaqqet NNCPR PR Executive
Soufiane Aboulhassane NNCPR Film Maker
Lubna Al Otaibi NNCPR Senior Media Relations
Jad AlAsaad NNCPR Arabic Editor
Lahcen Amouaj NNCPR Film Maker
Ahmed Barakat NNCPR Graphic Designer
Joanna Eid NNCPR Digital Account Manager
Natalie Habib NNCPR Media Relations Co-ordinator
Nadine Kahaleh NNCPR Creative Copywriter and Film Scriptwriter
Nour Khalid NNCPR Graphic Designer
Mohamed Refaat NNCPR Performance Advertising Manager
Sherine Thabet NNCPR Creative Copywriter
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