2020/2021 Winners & Shortlists

YOUTUBE WAREHOUSE CAIRO

BrandGOOGLE FZ LLC
Product/ServiceYOUTUBE
EntrantPEW. DESIGN BUREAU Cairo, EGYPT
CategoryExhibitions / Installations
Idea Creation PEW. DESIGN BUREAU Cairo, EGYPT
Production EXPERIENCE ALT Cairo, EGYPT

Why is this work relevant for Brand Experience & Activation?

YouTube Warehouse is YouTube's largest MENA Region corporate event. For 10 days, Google personnel give sessions to 20+ different companies on how to best utilize the digital platform for marketing results. It strives to give attendees a brand experience that they will remember, not only through content, but also through physical space and experiential interactions. This was the first time YouTube would have a physical presence in the Egyptian market so it demanded to leave a mark. We scrapped the conventional corporate setup and designed a different, albeit radical, experience that truly reflects the content revolution that YouTube has led.

Background

It was about time YouTube focuses its attention on businesses that are missing out on the potential the platform could offer for their ad content and audience. That was what initially drove the YouTube team to have "blow attendees away" as the first objective in the brief they sent. First and foremost, the presentation area had to be extremely remarkable as that’s where the 6-month-hard-work of the Google team will shine. The space had to help the team better engage with their clients, and give them an experience they could talk about and remember. That led to, amongst other reasons, designing & building an immersive room that made both the experience and the content unforgettable.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

The creative process started with a lot of questioning; eventually establishing a conceptual framework that capitalizes on the change YouTube has brought to media. YouTube has provided the real, the authentic and the most relevant. But also has added a layer on top; and we called that the ultra-real. YouTube gives you the power to be the most relatable, but also present the most extravagant and otherworldly show. That notion lead us to the ultimate question, what’s it like being at the backstage, of a YouTube video? And that was answered spatially with the immersive panoramic-content room & the characters living in it. The room was able to shift the atmosphere and vibe according to our custom content, the Google team's agenda, time of the day, and the speakers’ content.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

The audience were the clients of YouTube; C-suite and senior level marketers from large corporates and agencies who are looking for the best media buying options. Countless corporate events take place in Cairo year-round; using a "template" that dictates how the venue is supposed to look like and how content is presented. We mainly profiled the audience as very market-aware people, almost to the point of having seen-it-all, so we had to offer substantial change. This was the first time they would be meeting the YouTube team or go to a YouTube event, so we knew the expectations were high. As challenging as that insight was, it was also liberating. We had the license to go all the way & it made perfect sense when it came to representing the YouTube brand. Build an entire-screen presentations room with panoramic, interactive and immersive content? Why not.

Describe the execution (30% of vote)

The most challenging aspect of implementation was transforming the venue (a rustic classical clubhouse) to the atmospheric and very modern experience we had designed. After some restless nights and design solutions, the stage was set and the immersive room was ready. For the following 10 days, each day 55+ attendees from different companies would arrive and take the ride inside; coupled with the Google sessions and custom agency-created content. We created a full-on backstory with a character that lives inside the immersive room, which we called “Stream”. The character was the main interactive element, having created custom shoots for welcoming the audience, lunch & coffee breaks..etc. We also created an intro video that was the first thing the audience sees when they enter, and it was designed to showcase the range of how far the content inside could go.

List the results (30% of vote)

Lino Cattaruzzi, Regional Director MENA, Google has said “This is one of the best setups we’ve ever had for Warehouse”. As it’s difficult to share revenue numbers due to client confidentiality reasons, we could only manage to get a hold of this data: “Event reached 260 decision makers, increased perception by 5 points across key areas. Event received rating of 4.5 out of 5 from attendees” More info could be provided if the Lynx team contacts Google directly through the listed contact.

Credits

Name Company Role
Al Hassan Elwan pew. design bureau Design Director
Nourhan Wahdan pew. design bureau Creative Director
Ali Talaat pew. design bureau Spatial Experience Designer
Momen Nabil pew. design bureau Spatial Experience Designer
Basel Ihab pew. design bureau Production Manager
Angie Samir pew. design bureau Graphic Designer