2022 Winners & Shortlists

Why is this work relevant for Entertainment?

Instead of going back to the drawing board, STC reached out to 5 of the most liked characters that gained fame during the 4G days and thought, If the network got an upgrade, then why not give those characters an upgrade too, each associated with a specific capability. In a category dominated by irrelevant and confusing communication, we created an entertaining film, that brought to life the benefits of 5G In a relevant way. Not only did we entertain and engage but we also repurposed our investments from 4G to fuel 5G- making it a win win for all.

Background

5G is the fifth generation of cellular networks, bringing new capabilities that could enhance multiple aspects of life such as livability education & entertainment, it’s much bigger than a network improvement. Considering The Saudi Telecom Company (stc) is the largest mobile operator in the Kingdom, its role in driving the 5th generation network was fundamental. In June of 2019, stc officially launched 5G in Saudi Arabia, becoming the first mobile operator to provide this service across main cities. As the network was growing rapidly, so did the communication, and competition got aggressive in the country with telecoms launching massive awareness campaigns, it wasn’t only in 5G specific ones, but a 5G stamp was placed on almost every ad across services. how could we continue to demonstrate and reiterate stc’s leadership ultimately maintaining top of mind awareness of stc’s 5G offering and increasing stc’s 5G sales?

Describe the creative idea

We called on our five most popular characters that we had created in campaigns from the 4G era, granting them upgrades associated with their specific capabilities. United in an unprecedented mega-film, our heroes fought together against a new villain who wreaked havoc online!

Describe the strategy

Historically stc had invested heavily to own network superiority during the 4G era. With 5G being introduced and other brands taking advantage to try and level the playing field, we didn’t want stc’s investment to go to waste. Instead of going back to the drawing board, STC reached out to 5 of the most liked characters that gained fame during the 4G days. And thought, If the network got an upgrade, then why not give those characters an upgrade too, each associated with a specific capability. In this way, we could reiterate the strength of stc’s network and its evolution from 4G to 5G, while bringing back our customers’ favourite characters.

Describe the execution

Investments from our past gave us a shortcut to the future of our network An entertaining mega film brought back our upgraded heroes Sarah, who drove past latency on 4G ventured into parallel realities on 5G. Swailem the Bullet, a symbol of quick 4G, now teleported on a better, faster, and stronger 5G. And Um Ali, who walked and walked until she pushed the limits of coverage now gave virtual gym classes to the masses We placed the film where it could best entertain our audience: across stc’s social media channels. Our film showcased the power of 5G through the story of our superheroes that came together to defeat a new villain.

Describe the outcome

- We maintained leadership of our top-of-mind awareness in 5G with an increase of 5% - We increased 5G sales by 15% - In one week, our film gathered 6 million in views. By repurposing 4G investments to introduce 5G, we conquered competition and left Saudis engaged, entertained and 5G-powered.