2020/2021 Winners & Shortlists

SAUDI GOES TO THE CONTINENT

BrandNETFLIX
Product/ServiceTHE WITCHER
EntrantSCIENCE & SUNSHINE Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Idea Creation SCIENCE & SUNSHINE Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Production DÈJÁVU Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

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

Name Company Role
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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