2022 Winners & Shortlists

Background

The market was flooded with messages from competitors claiming to have the newest, widest, and strongest network, especially after the introduction of 5G. stc, who actually has the biggest network and widest coverage in Saudi Arabia, needed to defend this rightful claim.

Describe the creative idea

A demonstration of stc's network power putting the remotest parts of Saudi Arabia on the map using a Camel- introducing Sarha the world’s first content creating camel giving access to unseen parts of Saudi using stc’s 5G network. The camel roamed the desert for 7 days enabling photographers all over the world to capture real time photos and upload them live to the platform. Not only were they ablet to take photos but they were also able to have full control over the camera – including light and angles. The unique content was then shared with the public to showcase and demonstrate the strength of stc’s network.

Describe the strategy

How could we continue to convince an entire nation, that we had the best coverage? Especially when we were talking to every Saudi – with over 180% mobile penetration in Saudi, most of our audience was a customer of more than one telco operator. We had to reassure an audience whose loyalty was based on quality of service that our network was the strongest.​ Key insight:​ We explored the realities of network coverage. As we thought about how far the network could reach within the Kingdom - We were reminded how vast, rich in culture and largely undiscovered the Saudi Kingdom is – with much of it un known even to Saudis themselves. Much of the country is uninhabited, unseen, and unreachable by most, except for the desert camel: A Saudi icon that has historically gone where no human has gone before.

Describe the execution

We invited photographers from around the world to see Saudi Arabia throughSarha’s eyes, connected 24/7 and capture live images and videos from thecomfort of their own home. She could optimize their photography with high-definition images captured in real-time and uploaded at high network speed. Working closely with Snapchat’s in-house AR agency, Arcadia, we also created an experience that let Snapchatters feel like they were riding on Sarha - roaming the untapped deserts, with a first-person view and the ability to steer Sarha in different directions.The AR terrains were created using the actual 360 views of the locations Sarha recorded in its journey. We helped people live the story of Sarha and feel what it would be like to actually be in these never-before-seen spots, walk on the same dunes, and hear the same sounds. An immersive experience, which perfectly brought to life and complimented the breath-taking photos Sarha took.

List the results

Sarha, the unrelentless powerhouse pushed stc’s network to its limits and unveiled the nation’s unseen wonders, whether through content uploaded online or displayed on city streets, bringing to life the full power and experience of stc’s 5G network. We not only maintained perception of our network strength of 89% but increased it by 2%. Furthermore, our film received 4,479,812 Total views and 307,248,640 total impressions: Conversations around Sarha resulted in 1602 posts and 1620 mentions. All together culminating in $2million in PR value. Today, Sarha is still roaming around, inviting photographers worldwide to push the limits of stc’s network and embark on a new journey of discovery. As for the AR Lens, in 24 hours the lens experience was: 4.3M views 18.3M times opened and played 783 days of opt-in time spent with brand