2020/2021 Winners & Shortlists

LIGHTS ON; THE AUGUST HIGHWAY

Short List
BrandFIRST ABU DHABI BANK
Product/ServiceFIRST ABU DHABI BANK
EntrantKAIRO Cairo, EGYPT
CategoryChallenger Brand
Idea Creation KAIRO Cairo, EGYPT
Media Placement KAIRO Cairo, EGYPT

Why is this work relevant for Media?

During August, millions of Egyptians head to the Mediterranean. The north coast highway is a 150 KMs long road crowded with billboards, turning it into a Super Bowl like media frenzy. For the launch of First Abu Dhabi Bank we had to be present in this media scene. We custom built billboards that both stood out of the clutter and were of true value to our audience.

Background

First Abu Dhabi Bank launched in Egypt in 2019. The bank had to be present during the summer season on the Mediterranean coast where their target is. The objective was to stand out of the clutter with an insightful idea. The challenge was how to achieve this when the same target is bombarded by messages from the other top 10 banks. We realised the need to create an idea of clear value to our audience.

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

At night, long stretches of the Mediterranean coastal road are pitch black, leading to a huge number of accidents during the summer. So together with First Abu Dhabi Bank, we created a campaign that is more than just an ad. We placed billboards in the darkest areas of the road and attached specially designed lighting fixtures to the sides of the billboards, illuminating the maximum surface areas in these dark stretches. The billboards were placed with a message on them: “This is not just an ad… this ad is designed to light your way at night.”

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

First Abu Dhabi Bank’s main target are young professionals and entrepreneurs. A target that is getting more and more skeptical of banks and what they’re offering. We had to create an idea that gives them value and sets us apart from the rest of the banks. Given the very specific media situation in the month of August when the target is less on their phones and instead in shorts and bathing suits driving up and down the coastal road, we decided to utilize the conventional medium of billboards in an unconventional way.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

We erected 12 billboards across the darkest areas of the road. We designed lighting fixtures to be placed on the sides of the billboards that would only light the road at night without causing any visual impairment for drivers and ensuring the illumination of the maximum surface areas in these dark stretches. The billboard lights were operational every night in August, the month with the highest average number of accidents on the coastal road in the past 10 years. We plan to do it every August. We documented the process of installation of the billboards and lighting fixtures as well as reactions of the people to seeing the billboards in a video and posted it online.

List the results (30% of vote)

Brand recall increased by more than 60% during the month of August vs July. Customer acquisition increased by 12% in August vs H1 average. Online performance: 7.7M reach 17M impressions 3.9M views

Please tell us about the challenger brand and how your campaign challenged / was different from your competitors

With the top 10 banks in Egypt competing together to grab the attention of the same target audience every summer, First Abu Dhabi Bank -as a new player in the market- had to disrupt the status quo. While the common practice is to book as many billboards as possible before any other brands with selling messages and to flood beaches with branded umbrellas, bean-bags, branded booths and generic giveaways, we decided to challenge the market dynamics with an idea that will give a true and tangible value.

Credits

Name Company Role
Hesham Ellabban KAIRO Executive Creative Director
Sameeh Selim KAIRO Head of Strategy & Data
Mahmoud Dogheim KAIRO Planning
Mohamed Abd El-Hamid KAIRO Creative Strategist
Mahmoud Elhossieny KAIRO Design
Walaa Abu El Aeinen KAIRO Digital Media Planning
Nesrine Elfeki KAIRO Account Planner and Manager
Ali Amr Independent Produer
Rami ElShakry Independent Producer and Videographer
Hani Eskander Independent Videographer