SHAHID | Saher Suthriwala

ETHYLENE MIDDLE EAST CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION

SHAHID

2020

BRIEF

Shahid will be available as a streaming network on Apple TV, Android-enabled TVs and gaming consoles. Create a new logo that signifies the premium features of Shahid PLUS and come up with a catchy tagline that grabs the essence of the brand.

TARGET AUDIENCE

MENA Region
140M existing daily MBC TV viewers
Users of regional competitors

RESEARCH

As of Ramadan 2019, Shahid had over 27M monthly users, an increase in audience of more than 23% compared to the same period on 2018.
The content provided by the streaming service incorporated 248M views an increase of 46% compared to 2018 on Shahid and increase of 62% of Shahid PLUS subscribers.

THE IDEAS

'LOOKING FORWARD'

Aimed at launching SHAHID in a completely new perspective, our campaign incorporates a youthful yet family-friendly theme to maintain, attract and positively change the audience’s perception of SHAHID as a premium VOD brand. Circled around the fact that SHAHID simply means ‘witness’, our campaign ‘Looking forward’ consolidates the mere function of a human eye. We believe that sight is an essential sense that all individuals have a right to experience.

Reintroducing SHAHID as a futuristic and modern streaming service of the MENA region, the new brand structure which lays emphasis on customer experience is set to not only satisfy users but also provide to them an enhanced platform. Eyes are the only part of all of us that express our true emotions, capture the beauty of things and visually learn more as we grow. Another term that associates itself with eyes is ‘light’ which translates to ‘adaa’ in Arabic. Adaa by SHAHIDis the premium version of the Video on Demand service that provides a more exclusive range of TV shows and movies available only in Arabic.

The emotional take:

According to University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics (2019), an approximate of 400 or 500 of corneal transplant procedures are done each year worldwide and the success rates of the transplantation are 80-90 percent on an average in one year.

Since our campaign revolves around the element of sight, we decided it would be a brilliant idea to promote while giving back to society. We decided that SHAHID's new campaign should launch out on a positive note, so when users subscribe to Ada'a by SHAHID, 20% of the proceedings would go to Al Jalila Foundation's A’awen programme which literally "supports" cornea transplants for the young (Al Jalila Foundation, 2015).

Also, considering the region and Arab audience, the idea has coincidental backing. One of the Five Pillars of Islam is Zaka'at which means alms-giving.

With the launch of the diverse collection of movies and television shows, users will always have something to LOOK FORWARD to.

NEW LOGO:

One of the tasks in rebranding SHAHID was to create a new logo, One that would capture the public attention and retain its established class, trademark and layout.

The new and improved SHAHID logo includes an eye with the popular forward symbol as the pupil. The logo is a symbolic representation of the tagline. We maintained its old traits to create a sense of familiarity with the brand. the pupil is the part of the eye that lets light in and replacing that with a foward icon to indicate pictorial representation of the campaign.

Adaa by SHAHID is the premium version of SHAHID that was re-branded from SHAHID plus. Making a minimal modification to the main logo that was curated by the team, the forward symbol had been replaced by a regular pupil with a light reflecting from it. This symbolism is used to indicate the main purpose of the campaign that is to give a brighter future to the visually impaired.

Billboard

The commercial will depict a mixture of emotions on different platforms that SHAHID is currently available on, which will not only depict genre variety but also show that the service is exclusively available on updated platforms.

EXECUTION

Television

Since an emotional appeal will be used to deliver the news, the advertisement can show a POV shot on a child who gains sight to see the world through its eyes for the very first time. This message is ought to touch the heart of viewers which will eventually build up brand awareness.

Social Media

Since SHAHID has been introduced on gaming consoles (a platform used by 16-45 year olds), the advertisement will automatically attract and influence the targeted public.

'THE HOME OF REVOLUTIONARY CONTENT'

People generally connote the term ‘revolution’ to something negative –civil war, annexation, lack of social order and freedom from coercion. SHAHID wants to change that. Now, more than ever, the world needs to buckle up, come together and form a union based on trust, love, companionship, peace and freedom. This time the revolution is to bring people together – from family members to friends and from villages and cities to countries over the world.

As a platform that generates content for all age groups, the campaign is focused on covering a larger audience. It would also stand significant to the fact that SHAHID withholds the Arabic-version of the TV shows and movies from all over the world. The campaign’s aim is to break all norms and preconceived notions about nationalities and starting afresh.

NEW LOGO:

The logo is a representation of the world with the original SHAHID logo placed right in the center.

We used the color Pantone Blue that is the Color of the Year 2020, reason being that SHAHID is re-branding and starting its year with the objective of being outstanding and distinct from other VoD services.

Even though the target audience is focused on the MENA region, the key concept is to bring about a sense of unity and belongingness among all nationalities hence forming a revolution.

Adding to the main concept, Duniya (literally translating to “world” in Arabic) by SHAHID is the renewed premium version of the VOD streaming service.

The yellow star on the top left corner represents the light that reflects on a TV screen.

EXECUTION

3-minute Video (Cinemas, Online, MBC Website)

Video advertisements play a vital role in the world of advertisements. The video ad would depict different individuals saying: “I started the revolution” in their native language. Just when the audience suspects that this is a political ad, the camera zooms out to show that all these people are on a set and are being recorded which would stand for inclusivity and the various genres available on this platform.

Trade Press

Digital Studios Middle East, claimed to be Middle East’s largest broadcast and digital studio portal and publication could commercially feature the rebranded SHAHID logo on its cover page to make aware in the production and broadcast industry.

Conferences & Launch Parties
The brand could also host conferences and a launch party exclusively at GSMA’s MWC Barcelona Mobile Event, the LEXICON Vegas 2nd Annual Conference, Digital Marketing Leaders Summit at Sydney and the Cannes Lions Festival 2020.