2022 Winners & Shortlists

DOUBLE MOON

Bronze Lynx

Case Film

Presentation Image

BrandUAE GOVERNMENT MEDIA OFFICE
Product/ServiceEMIRATES MARS MISSION
EntrantMULLENLOWE MENA Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
CategoryUse of Ambient Media: Large Scale
Idea Creation MULLENLOWE MENA Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
PR MARKETTIERS London, UNITED KINGDOM

Why is this work relevant for Direct?

This campaign is relevant to the Direct category because it involved a ground breaking strategy designed to engage UAE residents in the Emirati space program and make them watch the country’s arrival on Mars. The idea helped us to achieve amazing and measurable results for the Mars Mission, not just in the Emirates but worldwide.

Background

As a part of its space exploration agenda, the United Arab Emirates launched the Mars Mission and sent a probe to the Red Planet on 20 July 2020. The probe was set to arrive on Mars on 9 February 2021. This meant the country would be the first Arab nation (and the fifth nation worldwide) to arrive on Mars. The UAE government wanted to make sure that everyone in the world was watching because the Emirates Mars Mission’s Hope Probe would be the first probe to provide a complete picture of Mars’ atmosphere and share the information collected with the whole world. The concept for the mission was ‘Impossible is Possible’, a reference to the many amazing things that have occurred in the UAE and to the difficulty of sending a probe to Mars given that 50% of the earlier missions to Mars had failed.

Describe the creative idea (30% of vote)

Although not many people know this, Mars has two moons – Phobos and Deimos. These moons were in the probe’s line of sight during its arrival, so we decided to bring them to Earth to make the people of the UAE feel as if they were in space.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

91.96% of UAE residents are mobile internet users, and 98% are active on social media*. We knew that if we gave them a powerful image, they would have the tools to share it. So, during the first week of February, we made two mysterious rock-like shapes appear in Dubai’s night sky, and social media picked up on them quickly. Within a few hours, the videos had taken the internet by storm and this ensured that the media covered the ‘Double Moon’ phenomenon. After the buzz built up, we made a government announcement via social media and to the press revealing that the phenomenon was actually a projection of the Mars moons that were visible to the UAE’s probe in space. In the address, a government official invited everyone to tune into our live stream and watch the UAE arrive on the Red Planet. *Source: Internet World Stats

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

The Hope Probe was scheduled to arrive on Mars on 9 February 2021, so we put the two moons in the sky over Dubai’s desert on 3 February. Using super-realistic sky mapping projection technology that had never before been seen in the Middle East, two giant 70-metre cranes and a 40-metre holo screen, we projected two exact replicas of the Mars moons onto the Dubai sky. The screen and the cranes were invisible at night, and the moons – which were visible for miles – looked incredibly realistic.

List the results (30% of vote)

The results exceeded our expectations and helped us reach the UAE Government objectives. ‘The Hope Probe’s Arrival’ on YouTube was the most watched live stream ever in the UAE. The activation reached more than 82 million people, which is equivalent to more than 8 times the entire population of the UAE. With a single stunt executed over 3 days in just one location, we achieved over USD 8.2 million in earned media, and more than 380 broadcast networks in over 50 countries covered the story.

Credits

Name Company Role
Mounir Harfouche MullenLowe MENA FZ LLC Chief Executive Officer
Paul Banham MullenLowe MENA FZ LLC Executive Creative Director
Khaled AlShehhi UAE Government Media Office Executive Director Marketing & Communications
Eduardo Castello Branco MullenLowe MENA FZ LLC Creative Director
Hagall Muniz MullenLowe MENA FZ LLC Creative Director
Rodrigo Rocha MullenLowe MENA FZ LLC Copywriter
Fabio Koriyama MullenLowe MENA FZ LLC Art Director
Martina Niranjini MullenLowe MENA FZ LLC Producer
Marcio Rodrigues MullenLowe MENA FZ LLC Motion Graphic
Zahid Gill MullenLowe MENA FZ LLC Motion Graphic
Aaliya Bekova MullenLowe MENA FZ LLC Photographer/ Videographer
Rami Ghanem MullenLowe MENA FZ LLC Group Account Director
Khaled Kanoon MullenLowe MENA FZ LLC Account Manager
Omar Ariss MullenLowe MENA FZ LLC Account Manager
Latifa AlMarzooqi UAE Government Media Office Social Media Manager
Ghaya AlBannay UAE Government Media Office Social Media Executive
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