2020/2021 Winners & Shortlists

EK2019

BrandEMIRATES AIRLINE
Product/ServiceEMIRATES AIRLINE
EntrantLEO BURNETT DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
CategoryTravel, Leisure, Retail, Restaurants & Fast Food Chains
Idea Creation LEO BURNETT DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Media Placement HAVAS MEDIA Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
PR EMIRATES Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Production NOMAD EVENTS Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Why is this work relevant for Media?

In this idea, Emirates Airline’s very own product, an airplane, became the stage for an activation. Emirates pride themselves in their unique onboard experiences like the best-voted entertainment system in the skies and their regionally-inspired cuisine. In this activation, Emirates went the extra mile to create an onboard experience that would ultimately make history and set a new Guinness World Record. We sparked conversation, excitement and a deep desire among people across the country to participate and engage with Emirates – and it all started with a one-of-a-kind experience – Flight EK2019.

Background

Emirates Airline is a leading brand in the UAE. We wanted to continue engaging our audience here in our home market by launching a special project uniquely relevant to them. However, the UAE is a challenging market, because it’s home to many different audiences including locals, Arab expats, a vast Asian community, Western expats and beyond. Brands sometimes resort to creating different executions for different audiences. We needed an idea that would resonate with everyone.

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

The Emirates product always needs to be central to the execution, and so the idea of placing an aircraft and the Emirates onboard service at the centre of our thinking came very naturally. With the core objective of connecting with the more than 200 nationalities that call the UAE home, the idea was simple: We created EK2019, a once-in-a-lifetime flight, aiming to gather all 200+ nationalities living in the UAE on the most multicultural flight in aviation history to mark The Year of Tolerance. The flight coincided with UAE National Day and followed a special path across all 7 Emirates of the country in a symbolic flight that also celebrated the union of the individual Emirates into one country in 1971.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

2019 was ideal to connect with the more than 200 nationalities living in the UAE, when the President, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa, proclaimed it to be the Year of Tolerance – a tribute to the country’s openness to different cultures. As the airline that proudly carries the flag of the UAE and connects the world every day, Emirates Airline was perfectly placed to share this message of tolerance with the world. On average, each Emirates flight carries 50 different nationalities. Now we would go further. People could sign up to represent their nation on EK2019, a flight that aimed to gather all the nationalities living in the UAE on one aircraft – a true representation of the country’s diversity. Across a period of 5 weeks we distributed 3 press releases and ample social content. We also engaged with shortlisted passengers through digital means and developed assets for the actual event.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

The 5-week multi-channel campaign was centered on one key media execution: Flight EK2019. In the run-up to the flight, people could apply for a seat at Emirates.com. We sustained hype on our social channels, and media organically spread our story. This culminated in more than 540 passengers from 145 nationalities living in the UAE uniting on a historic flight across all 7 Emirates of the UAE. The aircraft was specially branded for the event and onboard entertainment included curated Year of Tolerance content and lunch. Midflight, EK2019 went on to set a new Guinness World Record and each passenger received a certificate as keepsake. After the flight, the UAE Police Band welcomed EK2019 and its passengers back with a rendition of the UAE national anthem. Media organically reported on our event, the world record and the positive message of diversity and tolerance. We and influencers released video highlights on social.

List the results (30% of vote)

• More than 30,000 people applied for seats. • 540 passengers from 145 nationalities were on board EK2019, setting a Guinness World Record for the most multicultural flight in history. • More than 280 pieces of coverage in local, regional and international media outlets. • 8.8 Million users reached on Emirates social channels. • 5.2 Million Instagram story views. • 4.4 Million video views. • 420,000 interactions on Emirates social channels. • 250,000 views across 3 GIPHY stickers. • #EK2019 received 27 million impressions. • 25% rise in sales compared to the same period last year.

Credits

Name Company Role
Bechara Mouzannar Leo Burnett Dubai Creative Lead
Munah Zahr Leo Burnett Dubai Creative Lead
Anton Marais Leo Burnett Dubai Creative
Aditi Shah Leo Burnett Dubai Creative
Danielle Jamal Leo Burnett Dubai Communication Management
Nourhan ElGeneidy Leo Burnett Dubai Communication
Gerard Fadel Leo Burnett Dubai Communication
Soha Nasser Leo Burnett Dubai Communication
Mohammad Almajali Leo Burnett Dubai Communication
Shereen Mostafa Leo Burnett Dubai Production
Ralph Matar Leo Burnett Dubai Production
Dan Newton Leo Burnett Dubai Production
Rula Tadros Emirates Airline PR Comms Development and Media Relations & Outreach
Mariana Abu Younis Emirates Airline Arabic Media Relations & Outreach
Hatem Omar Emirates Airline Arabic Comms development and Arabic Media Relations Outreach
Ranwa Zahr Havas Media Planning Strategy
Krista Milton Havas Media Social Strategy
Sweta Singh Havas Media Planning & Execution
Phil Griffiths Nomad Director
Tim Swan Nomad Production
Jemma Cassey Nomad Production