“The world needs more play” has been a regular theme for a while now. Saud Arabia’s imminent giant entertainment destination, Qiddiya City, intends to deliver it. Droga5 and Accenture Song have created the campaign, Play Life, to spread the word. Qiddiya City is currently under construction 40km from the centre of Riyadh in Saudi Arabia.
The campaign reconnects people with play and its powerful effect on humans. Behind the destination and its campaign is the idea that it is now time to take play seriously by stopping seeing play as frivolous or childish and starting seeing it as something that helps us learn, connect and live longer. The destination is completely devoted to connecting people with play. Residences are being built amongst theme parks and golf centres, houses will have games rooms as standard, and cultural and sporting events such as football, motor racing, gaming districts and performing arts are on the doorstep. The city is the start of the Qiddiya brand’s overall purpose and longer-term goal of educating, rekindling, and empowering people with the transformative impact of play, which it ultimately aims to bring to life with several upcoming initiatives beyond the city.
The campaign has ignored the destination marketing tropes. Instead, Play Life is human, relatable and fun. The 90-second hero film leads a campaign that covers TV, cinema, OOH, digital display and social media and will run in Saudi Arabia and across the wider Middle East region as well as the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Turkey, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Japan, China and South Korea.
Additionally, it will run on high-profile OOH sites internationally in the coming weeks including 3D billboards in Shanghai, New York, London and Riyadh. There will also be takeovers at Shibuya Crossing, Tokyo and the 82 connected screens at Riyadh Boulevard, Riyadh.
Shelley Smoler, chief creative officer at Droga5, stated, “It’s not every day that you get to launch not only a mere product, but an entire city. Add to that a city that is a playground, that doesn’t limit playtime to designated times or areas, and you have that magical brief that comes around once in a lifetime.”
Ian Pons Jewell and Nick Roney, who directed the hero film with Oscar-winning cinematographer, Erik Messerschmidt, added “When we first read the script we were drawn to Droga’s ambitions to tell a global story with enough scope to make our mouths water. Our approach was simple: to try and capture the insanity of a city built around play. The idea of an F1 track intertwined with a rollercoaster that snakes through office buildings has a fantastic and surreal quality we want to capture on film. We aimed to be playful as possible, looking for moments of humour and personality to inject into the playthings’ journey. The only way to get into the right headspace was to travel to set everyday via bowling ball.”
Sharif El Rabiey, Droga5 executive group account director & Accenture Song Middle East brand practice lead, commented,, “Projects of this scale, especially ones as audacious as what Qiddiya is building, are easy to get lost in cynicism, create detachment, or both. That’s why the brand’s genuine belief in the power of play was so refreshing to us. It broadens the narrative of play from just a fun and frivolous activity to one that can be unleashed and positively impact all aspects of our lives. This campaign is a living manifestation of our own excitement around this philosophy.”
Credits
Brand: Qiddiya
Managing Director: Abdullah Aldawood
Advisors: Ross McAuley & Anthony Dalton
Brand Managers: Dima Malibary & Hend Youssef
Marketing Manager: Laila Alomran
Creative Agency: Droga5 London
Chief Creative Officer: Shelley Smoler
Creative Directors: David Dearlove, Pete Giblin & Aziza Abid
Writer: Andy Lockley
Copywriters: Asmaa Mohamed Akram & Talal Haj Ali Bek
Head of Design: Stephanie McArdle
Design Director: Craig Atkinson
Designers: Alice Galli & Hannah Stewart
Head of Production: Peter Montgomery
Producer: Charlie Orr
Photographer: Katerina Gharraph
Producer: Olly West
Chief Strategy Officer: Damien Le Castrec
Strategy Directors: Pete Heskett & Kabelo Lehlongwane
Strategist: Sanaa Choudhry
Account Directors: Tom Elias, Jazz Brell & Sara Abdulkader
Account Manager: Georgia Holgate
Project Director: Amanda Poulter:
Studio Manager: Tim Larke
Producer: Paul Millar
Motion Designer: Rob Wicksteed
Production Company: Prodco
Directors: Ian Pons Jewell & Nick Roney
Founder: Zico Judge
Executive Producers: Zico Judge & Amy Appleton
Managing Director: Katie Keith
Head of Production: Sam Levene
Director of Photography: Erik Messerschmidt
Producer: James Waters
Stills Production: Wellcom
Photographers: Lyndon Wade, Lindsey Wade & Edward Bourmier
Production: Dippin’ Sauce London
Production: Blur Producciones
Post Production & VFX: Black Kite
Post Production: Electric Theatre Collective
Editing: Final Cut London
Editor: Sam Bould
Music & Sound: String And Tins
Music & Sound: The Foley Barn
