2022 Winners & Shortlists

OVERTAKE THE FUTURE

BrandSAUDI MOTORSPORT COMPANY
Product/ServiceSAUDI ARABIAN GRAND PRIX
EntrantIMPACT BBDO Beirut, LEBANON
CategoryPoint of Sales, Consumer Touchpoints & In-store Collateral
Idea Creation IMPACT BBDO Beirut, LEBANON
Idea Creation 2 IMPACT BBDO Riyadh, SAUDI ARABIA
Idea Creation 3 IMPACT BBDO Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Media Placement IMPACT BBDO Riyadh, SAUDI ARABIA

Background

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a land with a rich heritage, which has always played a leading role in the Islamic world, has now come face to face with the challenge of building and strengthening its role as an open and tolerant country. With moderation and openness being part of its spirit, the fact remained that Islamic law (Sharia) was at the core of its constitution. The arrival of the F1 GP to the Saudi Arabian shore heralded a new chapter in the kingdom’s motor sport world. One which challenges the traditional perception of the kingdom in the minds of both, the local and global audience. The task was to capture the essence of the sport to line up with the Kingdom’s vision of 2030 in terms of being open-minded, embracing change, diversity and promoting tolerance. The sizable budget covered global media across Outdoor, Ambient, Radio, TV, SM and print.

Describe the creative idea (40% of vote)

Overtake the Future. A dynamic campaign signature reflecting the Kingdom’s readiness to join the exclusive international club that has traditionally hosted F1 events. The signature set the pace for the main idea, combining Western culture with a Middle Eastern touch to mirror the country’s vision of embracing change. The bilingual calligraphic fusing reflected the essence of the SAGP as a forward-moving sport, while mirroring the Kingdom’s vision. The nature of F1 and Saudi Motorsport brand in terms of purpose revolves around motion, speed and the track’s twists and turns, which all became a source of inspiration behind our choice of typography. A solid identity that resonates with our target audience and make them feel proud while at the same time staying relevant to the global one. We started building up on our approach based on insight and local trends, individual and consumer demographics as well as the sponsoring organizations’ expectations.

Describe the execution (40% of vote)

The ornamental Arabic script, the most fundamental element of Islamic art embraced the Latin words in all communication forms to reflect a country that champions diversity and openness to the rest of the world. We chose versatile Arabic calligraphy, the highest form of conveying the written Arabic word and married it with the Latin script to become the visual language of the SAGP. It became the most prominent element of the F1 event, overtaking all forms of communication material and the identity of the Grand Prix for the first time since 1951. It was also applied on a 2021 F1 prototype on display on display at Jeddah airport and across outdoor advertising across the city.

List the results (20% of vote)

The F1 drivers fell in love with their calligraphic names on top of their garages, sharing it on their social media platforms and optimizing global exposure of the Saudi Arabian GP. Even the race winners were announced in Arabic calligraphy, another first in F1 history. As a direct result of the campaign, millions of fans both local and global, expressed their pride and amazement, making it the most viewed race of the decade. One week after the Grand Prix race, UNESCO added Arabic calligraphy to its intangible cultural heritage list. In Numbers Over 1 Billion Impressions - Over 105 Million Online Views - Over 3 Million Online Clicks - Over 1.7 Million Website Visitors - Over 100 Thousand Media Followers in under 3 months.

Credits

Name Company Role
Dani Richa IMPACT BBDO Chairman & CEO
Hovsep Guerboyan IMPACT BBDO Beirut Regional Creative Director
Joe Abou-Khaled IMPACT BBDO Regional Executive Creative Director
Anthony Asmar IMPACT BBDO Beirut Senior Art Director
Walid Kerbage IMPACT BBDO Saudi Arabia Group Managing Director
Karim Younes Saudi Motorsport Head of marketing and communication
Kenny Moussawba IMPACT BBDO Saudi Arabia Business Director
Omar Fayad IMPACT BBDO Saudi Arabia Account Director
Muna Al Alwi IMPACT BBDO Dubai Senior Writer
Ahlam Bakheet IMPACT BBDO Saudi Arabia Senior Writer
Maria Etre IMPACT BBDO Beirut Senior Writer
Paul Saleh IMPACT BBDO Beirut Animator
Marc Ritter IMPACT BBDO Beirut Multimedia Designer
Tally Massouh IMPACT BBDO Beirut Head Of Production
Raja Kanafani IMPACT BBDO Beirut Creative Support
Ali Rez Impact BBDO Executive Creative Director