2020/2021 Winners & Shortlists

Why is this work relevant for Media?

As part of its celebration of the Saudi National Day 2020, Saudi Customs launched a creative video campaign, entitled #Great_Wall_Of_The_Nation, coinciding with the occasion, targeting the entity’s both internal and external stakeholders. The campaign was meticulously planned, designed, and executed, and involved a comprehensive multi-channel strategy, which helped effectively integrate different mediums to achieve the desired impact and measurable results. Its tremendous success demonstrates the potential of media in amplifying the campaign and content as well as how creativity and innovation can be constructively leveraged to build the image, raise the profile, and shape the perceptions of a brand.

Background

As a government entity responsible for facilitating the smooth flow of cross-border trade and contributing to national security by acting as a gatekeeper to Saudi Arabia’s borders, Saudi Customs has been playing an indisputable role in nation-building and the development of the Kingdom. The authority has reached several milestone achievements in delivering on its mandate over the past few years. Saudi Customs recognized that the occasion of the Saudi National Day 2020 will be an excellent opportunity to highlight the important role it plays and its contributions to the Kingdom and its society as well as instill pride and a sense of belonging among its employees. Building on the success of the #Rest_And_Believe campaign held as part of the 89th Saudi National Day in 2019, Saudi Customs launched the new #Great_Wall_Of_The_Nation campaign. It was also aimed at encouraging greater participation of the authority’s internal and external stakeholders in the celebration.

Describe the creative idea / insights (30% of vote)

As part of the #Great_Wall_Of_The_Nation campaign, a video was produced based on five themes - belonging, pride, power, contribution, and interaction. Filmed in various Saudi regions and terrains as well as its several land, air, and sea ports, the beautifully choreographed video depicted the commitment, dedication, and sacrifice of Saudi Customs heroes who protect the Kingdom day and night. During the planning phase, the Saudi Customs and the video production teams made field visits and coordinated research and the development of the script. The biggest challenge the team faced was the long distance between the filming locations and the difficulty in working without affecting the tasks of Saudi Customs’ employees.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

The #Great_Wall_Of_The_Nation campaign targeted Saudi Customs’ more than 100 employees working at the Kingdom’s ports and the general public including citizens, residents, and visitors. The creative campaign was carried out in three phases – pre-launch, launch, and post-launch. As part of that, a multi-channel promotional campaign, which included a 10-second teaser video, three infographics posters, interactive screens, and internal communications, was rolled out. The campaign creatives were shared through Saudi Customs’ social media channels including Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

The painstaking #Great_Wall_Of_The_Nation campaign project was carried out in 30 days with an average of 12 hours a day i.e. more than 360 working hours. On 22 September 2020, the teaser video that showcased a man appearing to form a wall himself was shared on Saudi Customs’ social media channels, which received a design makeover with new cover/banner images that displayed the campaign slogan – #Great_Wall_Of_The_Nation and the Saudi Customs logo customized to represent the theme and spirit of the Saudi National Day. In addition, the campaign was promoted internally with SMS, weekly newsletters, welcome back gifts for employees, and interactive screens at ports.

List the results (30% of vote)

The campaign’s main objectives included increasing the participation of Saudi Customs’ employees and their families in the Saudi National Day celebration and improving their brand perception of the entity. Saudi Customs also aimed to achieve a positive interaction rate of 90% with the campaign. The creative video was targeted to hit one million video views within 6 days of its launch. As a testimony to its success, the campaign’s results measured within 40 hours from the launch of the video on September 23, 2020 at 1:05 AM showed promising outcomes. It recorded a 99% positivity rate with favorable feedback and the achievement of objectives. The video hit 847,000 views and 2 million impressions and interactions through digital communication channels. The positive comments posted by Saudi Customs employees and their family members on social media channels underscore the success of the campaign.