2022 Winners & Shortlists

Why is this work relevant for Brand Experience & Activation?

Activations are a great opportunity for any brand to come to life in parts of culture that matter the most to its audience. However, instead of being a culture vulture that merely exploits young people’s desire for authentic experiences, Toyota Land Cruiser (LC) wanted to infuse itself into a part of culture it naturally fits in – UAE’s unique late night cafeteria drives – an experience young people have shared every night for generations. So, we partnered with a well-loved cafeteria to create an immersive experience that celebrated this driving ritual and reconnected with young drivers who cherish street culture.

Background

The Toyota Land Cruiser (LC) has an iconic status in the UAE. But over the years, the LC had lost its meaning with young drivers(18-35), who didn’t ‘get’ its iconic appeal. With the launch of the new LC300, we wanted to take this opportunity to connect with young drivers and show the car as a vehicle for youth-oriented lifestyle, along with a playful nod to its legacy. We saw street culture as a way in with them, with proof seen in the celebration of street icons in popular fashion, film, art and design. While collaborations in street culture have captured the imagination of the youth, their success depends on its authenticity. So, we needed to tap into something that’s distinctively UAE and instinctively Land Cruiser.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

Every night, young drivers in super cars and regular sedans, line up outside street-side cafeterias in the UAE, for a taste of their unique juice menu. A menu whose offerings read as a rolodex of national heroes, cultural icons, and famous events. Mango juice is rechristened as ‘Burj Khalifa’ and strawberry juice as ‘Messi’. Same goes for ‘Maradona’, ‘Superman’ and ‘Titanic’. In the true spirit of these cafeterias, we created a new beverage for an icon of our own - the ‘Land Cruiser’ juice, in partnership with UAE’s most iconic cafeteria – Al Ijaza. This new juice creation became the central piece of ‘Station Cafeteria’, a Land Cruiser-themed pop-up and drive-thru experience. ’Station Cafeteria’ - named in homage to the nickname Emiratis gave the original LC in the 70s - was fully immersive, complete with a limited-edition menu, exclusive merch drops and carhop test drives of the all-new LC300.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

In this region, the category has no shortage of glamorous communication around expected driving rituals like off- roading, fast-cars and cosmopolitian cruising. However, one missed cultural phenomenon is the Late-night Cafeteria Drive. These humble and often underrated streetside cafeterias have become places for young people to gather for generations. A characteristic and appeal of these cafeterias are their eccentric juice menus. Here, icons are reimagined as quirkily-named beverages (i.e. ‘Burj Khalifa’, ‘Messi’, ‘Snapchat’). To be inducted in this drinkable hall of fame is to cement your legendary status and be part of this local subculture. With the Land Cruiser being a familiar and popular sight on this Drive, we saw it as an opportunity to reconnect with young drivers of the region by introducing an iconic new juice creation ‘Land Cruiser’ and celebrating this unique driving subculture.

Describe the execution (30% of vote)

Station Cafeteria came to life across three dimensions: food, fashion and 4x4s. With Food, we created the ‘Menufesto’, an exclusive nine-item menu, featuring LC-themed twists to cafeteria classics. The Menufesto included a series of stories that paid homage to cafeteria culture and immersed drivers into this iconic driving ritual. Then, in Fashion, we created an exclusive drop of hype tees, car accessories and trucker caps inspired by the retro and nostalgia of the UAE’s streets. Finally, with 4x4s, we noticed visitors driving around the block, while waiting for their food to be prepared. We invited them to spend this time test-driving the LC300. Prior to the pop-up’s launch, we teased an edgy promo film featuring some of Dubai’s future street icons. We fuelled this hype by sending personalised merchandise to prominent influencers within the food, art, lifestyle and car communities.

List the results (30% of vote)

Across three weekends, the pop-up experience was visited by over 72,000 people. Station Cafeteria amassed over 2.1 million impressions and a total reach of 910,000. Test drive sign-ups increased by 36% for the new Land Cruiser compared to the month prior. This cultural moment caught the attention of the region’s ultimate curator of cool – HypeBeast Arabia. We were also covered by mass publications like Gulf News, LovinDubai and Al Bayan, making it to their list of top things to do during the UAE’s 50th national day weekend celebrations. Ijaza’s number of orders increased by 48%, compared to an average weekend. The Land Cruiser juice became so famous that fans asked for it to be included in Ijaza’s permanent menu, ensuring that the Land Cruiser becomes a part of the UAE’s cultural legacy for as long as its street cafeterias are standing.

Please tell us about the social behaviour and / or cultural insights that inspired your work

Every night, young drivers (aged 18-35) with supercars to regular sedans, and even Land Cruisers, drive to street-side cafeterias in the UAE for their famous juices. These juices are famous, because their names, amusingly, have no relation to their ingredients or flavour. Instead, they’re named after national heroes, cultural icons and famous events. Mango juice is reimagined as ‘Burj Khalifa’ and strawberry juice as ‘Messi’. Same goes for ‘Superman’ and ‘Titanic’. This subculture is UAE’s unique take on commemorating icons - similar to how Hollywood does with its Walk Of Fame and London with Madame Tussauds. With the Land Cruiser being a popular sight in this ritual, we saw this drive as an opportunity to reconnect it with young drivers in UAE. We collaborated with one of the nation’s favourite cafeterias ‘Al Ijaza’, to introduce an iconic new juice ‘Land Cruiser’ and built a Land Cruiser themed experience around it.