The AlUla Tour, a road cycling stage race hosted by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Sports and the Saudi Cycling Federation, launched a campaign for its 2026 season to bring the tour greater cultural visibility from audiences in Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC .
Developed in partnership with creative agency Takkah, the campaign – titled ‘The Big Miss Out’ – tapped the insight of the ‘fear of missing out’ (FOMO) to meet the client’s mandate of turning the AlUla Tour into a socially relevant moment.
Tasked with a brief to create a campaign that could generate urgency, conversation and emotional investment around the event, while also positioning AlUla itself as a destination associated with energy, movement and world-class experiences, Takkah brought audiences the feeling of AlUla Tours through a comically urgent hero film, social media adaptations and key influencer partnerships with prominent Saudi creators.
“Rather than relying on traditional sports advertising, the campaign aimed to make audiences feel that something important was happening, with or without them. The goal was to turn attendance and engagement into a social and emotional instinct rather than a purely informational decision,” said Anwar Ramadan, Creative Director, Takkah.
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The key insight behind the campaign came from a universal human feeling, the emotional tension that drives the fear of missing out.
“People do not necessarily care deeply about a specific event or even follow a particular sport, but the moment they sense that everyone else is experiencing something exciting, important, or culturally relevant, they do not want to be left out,” explained Ramadan.
“We realised that this instinct was far more powerful than trying to convince audiences to suddenly become cycling fans. So instead of selling the sport itself, the campaign was built around making people feel that AlUla Tour was already becoming a moment others were experiencing, enjoying, and talking about.”
Roll-out and influencer strategy
The campaign launched through a connected mix of hero films, digital content, social media, and influencer collaborations. The hero film acted as the emotional centerpiece of the campaign, introducing the idea of a character (played by Saudi actor Yazeed Al-Majyul) who gradually realises he’s on the verge of missing an important event everyone around him is part of.
As he runs through a mental check list of everything he needs before his trip to the AlUla Tour, he comes to the shocking realisation that he has forgotten to apply for days off at work. The panic of missing out leads him through a barrage of events to make sure he can still make it to the Tour.
The hero video was supported through social-first content across Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, and X, alongside influencer activations and visual assets tailored for digital engagement.
Influencers amplified the campaign through TikTok and Snapchat integrations, helping extend reach and reinforce the feeling that the event was already becoming a shared cultural moment. The influencer strategy focused on creators with strong engagement among Saudi youth audiences, including creators such as Firas Al-Mubarki, Ez Al-Khad, Saudi Panther, Abdullah Al-Drees, Shahad Al-Muhanna, and others.
This approach was taken to make sure audiences felt the impact of missing out, by creating the urgency of an event unfolding in real time. This was further amplified through influencer collaborations which allowed the campaign to ‘feel lived-in’, rather than advertised.
“Platforms like TikTok and Snapchat were especially important because they naturally support fast-moving, socially driven content and encourage reaction-based engagement,” said Ramadan. “Instead of simply promoting the event, creators made audiences feel like they were already part of the experience.”
The campaign primarily targeted young audiences in Saudi Arabia between the ages of 18 and 35, particularly digitally active individuals who engage heavily with entertainment, sports culture, lifestyle content, and social media trends. Similarly, the campaign also targeted audiences who may not traditionally follow cycling, but who respond strongly to cultural moments, experiences, and socially driven events – both locally and internationally. Secondary audiences included regional tourists, lifestyle-focused audiences, and individuals interested in entertainment and destination experiences connected to AlUla.
“We observed that audiences engage most intensely with content that feels immediate, socially validated, and already in motion. In a highly connected culture, being late to a moment carries emotional weight,” said Ramadan. “Instead of selling the race itself, we sold the feeling of missing it. The campaign was designed to create tension and urgency, making audiences feel like the event was already happening around them.”
Results of the AlUla Tour 2026 campaign
The success of the campaign was measured through a combination of reach, engagement, audience interaction, cultural conversation and overall visibility around AlUla Tour.
Since launch, the campaign has generated over 179 million interactions, more than 99 million in reach, and over 88 million views across platforms. The work also sparked strong audience engagement and industry attention locally, particularly for its cinematic storytelling approach and unconventional take on sports marketing within the region.
The influencer rollout alone generated more than 10.2 million views and over 150,000 likes across TikTok and Snapchat activations through collaborations with nine creators.
Beyond performance numbers, the campaign succeeded in shifting perception around the AlUla Tour itself. What had traditionally been viewed as a niche cycling event became a culturally visible moment that audiences actively discussed and engaged with online.
“Beyond hard metrics, the campaign succeeded in shifting perception. It transformed AlUla Tour from a niche cycling event into a culturally visible moment that audiences felt emotionally connected to and did not want to miss,” Ramadan concluded.
Credits:
Agency: Takkah
Creative
Anwar Ramadan, Creative Director, Takkah
Maha Al-Mubirik, Lead Copywriter, Takkah
Muhanna Al-Muhanna, Additional Copywriter, Takkah
Account
Alaa Khalife, Executive Account Manager, Takkah
Afaf Takkah, Account Manager, Takkah
Project Manager, Takkah
Nouf Khan
Abrar Al-Khiary
Social Media Manager, Takkah
Entissar Abdullah
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Production: Takkah
Executive Producer
Abrar Alkhairy
Director
Yaser B.
Director Producer
Nebras Z.
Producer
Taj Sabri
Line Producer
Enas Ahmed
Production Manager
Anas Osman
Production Coordinator
Mishaal Al-Ayed
Assistant Director
Rema Tariq
Director of Photography
Fawzi Darwish
Steadicam Operator
Ahmed Al-Sufyani
Editor
Ziyad Al-Sayigh
Art Director
Rana Tarek
Prop Master
Farooq
Post Producer / VFX Supervisor
Alaa Al-Nahlawi
Music & Sound Design
Khaled Kammar
Wardrobe Stylist
Sara Al-Aqeel
Makeup Artist
Yara Mua
Cast Manager
Esraa
Key Visuals
Tarek Salah Taha
Team Leader
Maaz Moha
BTS
Abathar
Production Partners
Equipment
My Gaffer
Color Grading
The Post Brothers
