SAUDI GOES TO THE CONTINENT
Brand | NETFLIX |
Product/Service | THE WITCHER |
Entrant | SCIENCE & SUNSHINE Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES |
Idea Creation
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SCIENCE & SUNSHINE Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
|
Production
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DÈJÁVU Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
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Why is this work relevant for Integrated?
Just like the world of The Witcher, this campaign was multilayered. Saudi lives online, more specifically on social media (Youtube, Twitter), so every element of our campaign was designed to trigger a conversation that could evolve and grow online as we built a core fanbase for the title. To invite Saudi into the world of The Witcher, our integrated campaign consisted of outdoor billboards, direct marketing, influencers and films, and used the power of social media to get everyone excited for the show before it dropped on Netflix.
Background
The Witcher is a fantasy drama layered with multiple elements set in The Continent, a multiverse inhabited by many species - Witchers, Elves, Mages, Humans & Monsters. We knew that fans of the books and the game already had a vested interest in this title, but we had to create the fantasy for everyone else in Saudi, by painting a picture of this new world filled with strange places, magic and Witcher lore.
Describe the creative idea
To make The Witcher relevant for the locals, we had to go local. Our idea was to take Saudi on a trip to the Continent in a campaign that travelled from the streets to their screens. We started with a teaser that only existing fans would know and love, and used their fandom to trigger the conversation that would create new fans.
Describe the strategy
Conservative laws in Saudi Arabia make it very hard for entertainment companies to advertise their shows in the Kingdom. With 65% of Saudis being under the age of 35, social media has prevailed giving voice to the people like never before. And Saudi Content Creators & Influencers reign.
So we came up with a fresh approach to excite the Kingdom with the launch of The Witcher keeping these two things in mind. We created a campaign that travelled from their local streets to their screens and leveraged the influence of two of the most popular influencers in The Kingdom (Darin Al Bayad & The Saudi Reporters) to immerse Saudi into the world of The Witcher.
Describe the execution
We released a teaser that existing Witcher fans would appreciate. We designed billboards to look exactly like Saudi’s local road signs. Except, all roads led to key cities in the Continent.
Once the Saudi internet was talking, we sent a mysterious Witcher kit to two huge Saudi influencers. The unboxing revealed a cryptic invite, Witcher potions giving them special powers, Witcher currency and a map of the Continent. This triggered a wave of excitement amongst a whole new audience.
The final piece was a film where we took Saudi on a flight to Cintra through the eyes of our two influencers. But this wasn’t an everyday flight. The airport had strange folk and a series of humorous encounters with mythical creatures and other magical elements. The film was posted on the influencers’ social channels as well on Netflix’s channels, giving Saudi a taste of what awaits them in Season 1.
List the results
The Saudi internet loved our road signs and spread the word about them online. They even made it to Reddit.
Over 2 million organic views for the film.
Over 200K organic views for the unboxing videos.
Over 12% organic engagement.
The Witcher was trending on Saudi Twitter.
The Witcher becomes one of the most popular shows in Saudi.
Credits
Nadine Ghossoub |
Science & Sunshine |
Chief Executive Officer |
Ash Chagla |
Science & Sunshine |
Executive Creative Director |
Saleh ElGhatit |
Science & Sunshine |
Associate Creative Director / Art Director / Copywriter |
Sameer Suri |
Science & Sunshine |
Copywriter |
Wael Baytamouni |
Science & Sunshine |
Art Director |
Steven Khoury |
Science & Sunshine |
Account Manager |
Ram Prasad |
Science & Sunshine |
Designer |
Fouad Fallah |
Netflix |
Marketing Director |
Salwa Andraos |
Netflix |
Creative Producer |
Eethar Al Hassan |
Netflix |
Marketing Manager |
Rasha Omer |
Netflix |
Brand & Editorial |
Diaa Elsadat |
Netflix |
Publicity |
Dejavu Dubai |
Dejavu Dubai |
Production House |
Links
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