2020/2021 Winners & Shortlists

SPECIAL OLYMPICS WORLD GAMES BRAND CONTENT CAMPAIGN

BrandAL MASAOOD GROUP LLC
Product/ServiceAUTOMOBILE
EntrantAL MASAOOD LLC Abu Dhabi, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
CategorySponsorship & Brand Partnership
Idea Creation WASSERMAN Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Media Placement OMD Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Production WASSERMAN Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Why is this work relevant for Brand Experience & Activation?

The Special Olympics World Games was the world’s largest sports and humanitarian event in 2019, and the largest sports event ever held in the UAE. The partnership with Al Masaood, one of UAE’s most established companies with an outstanding track-record of community support, presented an extremely authentic fit. It also provided the business with a unique opportunity to promote the breadth of its operations, as well as a compelling brand story that mirrors the UAE’s evolution as a nation. As the Group's first brand experience and activation of this kind, the campaign delivered on its key objectives and surpassed expectations.

Background

Perception of the Al Masaood Group is strongly linked to their main consumer-facing business – as the Nissan importer in Abu Dhabi – whilst the Group aspired to create a more up-to-date image that truly reflected the breadth and diversity of its business. As such the main brief was to leverage the Special Olympics World Games sponsorship via creative content communications, and in doing so help showcase Al Masaood Group, as a whole, thereby improving brand awareness as ‘more than just a dealership’. Two key objectives were set for the sponsorship activation campaign: 1. Further brand development of the Group as a diversified, private, family-owned conglomerate of businesses with growing market share in Abu Dhabi and the Western region. 2. Protect and elevate the reputation of Al Masaood as a leading family within the UAE, and an ideal partner to global brands looking to break into the region.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

The creative idea revolved around the UAE’s historical evolution, Al Masaood’s part in that development, and the Special Olympics’ rallying cry to invite the world to “Meet the Determined”. The creative output focused on 5 key themes: We saw opportunity An opening scene of a desert landscape that contained only opportunity and a dream of what was possible. We drive progress Endless sand dunes giving way to a paved road traveled by an Al Masaood vehicle, driving forward, as a metaphor for moving the nation forward. We are committed to Abu Dhabi Transitioning to a wide cityscape showcasing the unmistakable beauty and progress of Abu Dhabi. We invite the world Our invitation from Abu Dhabi and Al Masaood for the world to witness the 2019 Special Olympics World Games. To Meet the Determined Climax montage of UAE Special Olympians and the true determination of these athletes that inspires us all.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

The 2019 partnership with the Special Olympics World Games, Abu Dhabi, provided Al Masaood with a unique opportunity to formulate its first-ever Group-branded communications campaign. This content needed to accurately reflect the Group’s historical stature in the evolution of Abu Dhabi, as well as reach the campaign target audience via the right channels at the right time. The target audience was defined as the leadership of Abu Dhabi, as well as UAE nationals and international expatriates in Abu Dhabi. In addition to the branded media content, our approach was to leverage the sponsorship in an integrated manner with a campaign-aligned retail promotion involving the sponsored fleet of Special Olympics courtesy vehicles, as well as a highly engaging on-site experiential activation at the Games themselves. The campaign was underpinned with a robust Abu Dhabi media plan, implemented before, during and after the Special Olympics.

Describe the execution (30% of vote)

Three months ahead of the campaign launch in late Feb 2019, a suite of bespoke assets was created from a two-day shoot, including: 60”, 30” and 15” video edits; digital ad banners; OOH poster formats; and an archive of still imagery. All content was in English and Arabic, and organic posts supported with amplification spend across key social channels. The OOH media plan consisted primarily of two high-traffic locations into, and in downtown Abu Dhabi. An ongoing retail promotion engaged Abu Dhabi residents, incentivising consumers to help build a large-scale digital mosaic online and on-site at the Games. Participants posted photos, which became a part of the live mosaic and users could search out their unique photo grid location, whilst being entered into a grand prize draw to win a 2019 Nissan Sentra. The campaign ran for six weeks – before, during and after the Special Olympics World Games.

List the results (30% of vote)

Business impact - 315 Nissan Patrols, making up the Special Olympics fleet, sold in six months following the Games. - In-Country Value (ICV): AED6million+. A key measurement of growing the UAE’s economy, and creating opportunities for UAE nationals in the private sector. - Al Masaood made a preferred vendor to the UAE government. Response rate - 'Spot the Fleet' experiential activation secured the maximum 4,000 participants over a 8-day period. - 1,632 qualified UAE resident data records, from which one Grand Prize winner drove away in a Nissan Sentra. Impressions - 761,381 video views and 3,244,196 impressions across YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. - Over 410k post engagements, from which 38 leads were acquired from the key affluent target audience. - A reach of over 360,000 from YouTube content alone, including a total of 116,327 completed views (32% conversion). - LinkedIn CTR of 0.36%, directly engaging an upscale, professional audience.

Credits

Name Company Role
David Collins Wasserman Creative and strategy
Links
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