2022 Winners & Shortlists

Why is this work relevant for Brand Experience & Activation?

To win back its rightful claim as the best network with the widest coverage, stc decided to demonstrate the power of its network and put it to the utmost test. With nearly half of the country uninhabited, unseen, and unreachable by most, except the desert camel, we introduced Sarha, the world’s first content-creating camel. Sarha had a Camera rigged on its back with a strong internet connecting professional photographers from around the world, taking them on a unique journey of discovery, and allowing them to capture real-time photos from never seen before locations for Saudis' and the word to see.

Background

The market was flooded with messages from competitors claiming to have the newest, widest, and strongest network, especially after the introduction of 5G. stc, who actually has the biggest network and widest coverage in Saudi Arabia, needed to defend this rightful claim.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

A demonstration of stc's network power putting the remotest parts of Saudi Arabia on the map using a Camel - introducing Sarha the world’s first content creating camel giving access to unseen parts of Saudi using stc’s network. The camel roamed the desert for 7 days with High definition camera rigged on its back enabling photographers all over the world to capture real time photos from never seen before areas and upload them live to the platform. Not only were they able to take photos but they were also able to have full control over the camera – including light and angles. The unique content was then shared with Saudis' and the world. Full data of the journey was also captured and shared to showcase and demonstrate the strength of stc’s network.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

How could we continue to convince an entire nation, that we had the best coverage? Especially when we were talking to every Saudi – with over 180% mobile penetration in Saudi, most of our audience was a customer of more than one telco operator. We had to reassure an audience whose loyalty was based on quality of service that our network was the strongest. Key insight: We explored the realities of network coverage. As we thought about how far the network could reach within the Kingdom - We were reminded how vast, rich in culture and largely undiscovered the Saudi Kingdom is – with much of it un known even to Saudis themselves. Much of the country is uninhabited, unseen, and unreachable by most, except for the desert camel: A Saudi icon that has historically gone where no human has gone before.

Describe the execution (30% of vote)

We invited photographers from around the world to see the unexplored side of Saudi through Sarha’s eyes, connected 24/7 and capture live images from the comfort of their own home. She could optimize their photography with high-definition images captured in real time and uploaded at high network speed. Photographers were able to control all the camera settings. As a result, epic photos and never seen before content were uploaded onto Sarha’s online platform, and we used the content to engage people all over the kingdom. We revealed the rare photos across outdoor media and social media. A "Shot by Sarha” outdoor gallery was displayed in city streets. We also introduced a snap chat lens, giving everyone a view from Sarha’s perspective. Sarha also shared data through a dashboard all visualized and published on her Instagram account for people to follow day-by-day. This culminated in Sarha’s very own exhibition and book.

List the results (30% of vote)

Sarha, the unrrelentless powerhouse pushed stc’s network to its limits and unveiled the nation’s unseen wonders, whether through content uploaded online or displayed on citystreets, bringing to life the full power and experience of stc’s 5G network. We not only maintained perception of our network strength of 89% but increased it by 2%. Furthermore, our film received 4,479,812 Total views and 307,248,640 total impressions:. Conversations around Sarha resulted in 1602 posts and 1620 mentions- All together, culminating in $2million PR value. Today, Sarha is still roaming around, inviting photographers worldwide to push the limits of stc’s network and embark on a new journey of discovery.