After the launch of its ‘Most Relaxed Cat in the World’ brand campaign earlier this year, RAK Tourism wanted to get the community involved.
Specifically, young, Emirati, creative talent through the Higher College of Technology (HCT).
With the help of Jana Dambekalne, a lecturer from its Applied Media faculty, it was proposed to deliver an assignment to students to take the brand and brand character and to really make the campaign their own. The assignment was extended to add in a sustainable design.
Submissions from students ranged from specifically-designed cat branded 3D paper cut-out models to an actual cat dictionary.
Five students were shortlisted and presented to a panel of judges from the tourism board – Serdar Senay, Director, Destination Marketing, Raki Phillips, CEO and Alka Winter, VP Destination Marketing & Communications, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) and Justin Harper, Editor, Campaign Middle East.
The winner was Aamal Altenaiji, whose work – Prowling Cat Activity Book (formally known as Whiskers Fun Book) took home the first prize.
The judges immediately saw how the book could be easily produced and distributed to hotel guests, overseas market activities (roadshows, media events) and throughout the local community.
Alka Winter said: “Whenever we can get the opportunity to actively engage with our local community, we go for it. This is what the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah is about – we’re a community first.”
“Not only did we see Aamal’s brilliant creativity come to life in a highly polished and produced creative, all the students demonstrated a deep understanding of design and the ability to interpret and deliver on a brief, which is an invaluable experience and will serve them well in their careers.”
Relaxed cat
Ad campaigns that use mascots are 37 per cent better positioned for greater market share.
‘The Most Relaxed Cat in the World’ was born from a two-day brand workshop in June 2023 with strategy, creative and social team members from Interesting Times, PR agency Asdaa BCW and key people from RAKTDA, including our CEO Raki Phillips, and members of the marketing, commercial, HR and finance teams.
The creative idea focused on showcasing relaxation in a non-traditional manner through a mascot serving as a whimsical brand ambassador.
When the concept of having a cat as the star of the campaign was proposed, it seamlessly aligned with the tourism board’s vision. A cat epitomises the essence of an indulgent holiday that is full of relaxation.
The campaign received significant attention from leading media outlets and the digital media campaign achieved remarkable results, with over 725 million impressions, and a view-through rate (VTR) of 99 per cent on TikTok, surpassing the platform benchmark of 90 per cent.
The cat character proved its influencer status on social channels, receiving 2.5 times more impressions than non-cat posts and 75 per cent more post interactions compared to non-cat content.
