Case Study
Experience Abu Dhabi soars with Prime Video and Streaming TV ads to inspire global travelers
Goals
- Increase travel demand for Abu Dhabi
- Shift perceptions and position Abu Dhabi as a year-round destination for affordable travel
Approach
- Launch the "101 Abu Dhabi Do's" campaign
- Leverage Prime Video ads, Streaming TV ads, and Twitch ads to extend Abu Dhabi's presence to the largest screens in homes
- Create content that relates to a global audience
Results
- Reached over 18 million unique users, generating more than 39 million impressions
- Exceeded 91% average video completion rate across all video products
- Increased perception of Abu Dhabi offering good value for the price by 13 percentage points
Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, is renowned for its rich cultural heritage and exciting attractions. At the forefront of shaping this dynamic destination is the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi along with its destination brand Experience Abu Dhabi.
To boost summer travel demand, Experience Abu Dhabi collaborated with Amazon Ads to launch the "101 Abu Dhabi Do's" campaign, an initiative spotlighting 101 must-visit attractions across the emirate. The campaign aimed to shift perceptions and increase summer travel demand by highlighting Abu Dhabi's cultural richness, welcoming atmosphere, and affordability, positioning the city as a year-round destination.
Inside the insights-based approach
Experience Abu Dhabi's core audience primarily consisted of international travelers from the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and France. Per the Global Web Index, 68% of Amazon audiences in these regions typically vacation abroad, 1 with 63% planning to take an international trip in the next 12 months. 2 Additionally, 41% of these audiences prefer long-haul vacations, indicating an openness to explore destinations like Abu Dhabi. 3
Moreover, 40% of upcoming travelers in these locations currently use Amazon products or services, showcasing their strong engagement with the Amazon properties. 4 This presented Experience Abu Dhabi with a unique opportunity to connect with relevant audiences using various Amazon Ads solutions.
Beyond the phone and into the home
The campaign used Prime Video ads, Streaming TV ads, and Twitch ads to extend Abu Dhabi's presence to the largest screens in homes, creating an immersive experience and natural integration alongside content that customers love to watch. The key campaign message, "101 Abu Dhabi Do's," brought to life an array of attractions, from cultural icons like the Louvre Abu Dhabi to the adrenaline-filled Ferrari World Abu Dhabi and the serene beaches of Saadiyat Island Resort. These visuals appeared as full-screen, non-skippable ads before or during video content to help deliver the message in an attentive, engaged environment.
Experience Abu Dhabi’s “101 Abu Dhabi Do's" campaign video.
The creative content further enhanced the experience by featuring travelers enjoying these destinations while conversing in their native languages, making the message more relatable to a global audience. This approach emphasized that summers in Abu Dhabi offer incredible experiences, regardless of the season. Additionally, Twitch was used to further expand Abu Dhabi's reach to the next generation of travelers—adult Gen Z. This strategic mix of high-impact visuals and diverse media placements helped position Abu Dhabi as a vibrant, must-visit destination.
Success with streaming TV
The campaign delivered results across all marketplaces, demonstrating its effectiveness in reaching and engaging international travelers. It achieved a total reach of over 18 million unique users, generating more than 39 million impressions. 5 The average video completion rate exceeded 91% across all video products, surpassing the industry benchmark by 9.28 percentage points. 6
Measured by a brand lift study, the campaign was successful in shifting perceptions among high-household income (HHI) demographics. For the 35–44 age group, there was a 13 percentage point increase in perception of Abu Dhabi as offering a good value for the price. 7 This positive shift was even more pronounced in the 45–54 age group with a 14 percentage point increase in the same metric. 8
Furthermore, the streaming TV formats used in the campaign proved effective in terms of ad recall. A notable 9 percentage point lift in ad recall was observed among HHI customers aged 35–44 and 65+ who saw the ad on TV. 9 These results underscore the campaign's success in reaching a wide audience, positively influencing perceptions, and creating memorable impressions.
1-4 Global Web Index, US, FR, UK, DE, Q1 2023 – Q1 2024
5-9 Amazon Internal Data, US, FR, UK, DE, 2024