2022 Winners & Shortlists

Background

The retail industry, amongst others, was severely impacted by 2020’s COVID-19 pandemic. 2021 McKinsey surveys discovered that 95% of UAE consumers changed the way they shopped, consumer spending was low, and consumers opted to shop online instead of in-person In January 2021, Majid Al Futtaim, the region’s leading lifestyle group launched THAT Concept Store a 44,130 sqft. space within the company’s flagship mall, Mall of the Emirates. Considering the UAE consumers just ended a year of COVID-19 lockdowns, our task was to carefully navigate consumer concerns, create hype and inform them about something they have never heard of, or even seen before through Majid Al Futtaim’s social channels.

Describe the strategy

Our strategy tapped into the millennial and Gen-Z urge to be at the forefront of hype while working a “FOMO” angle to show potential visitors what they are missing. Our campaign kicked off with teasers, live coverage of the opening, and standalone pieces of carefully curated content that hit all markets, platforms and age groups from all social angles.

Describe the execution

Every form of common social media across every single Majid Al Futtaim platform, from B2B long-form LinkedIn articles to trending TikToks were used to get our message across. With an all-hands-on-deck approach, the team, coupled with outsourced content creators and local celebrities, covered the pre-launch, launch and post-launch with a range of content pieces. Our content started rolling out well before the store’s official launch date and carried on throughout the entire year – we even celebrated their 1-year anniversary in Jan 2022.

List the results

Our 50+ pieces of content reached over a million people (1,027,938 to be precise) in THAT Concept Store’s first year of operation.