Great Digital StoriesDigital Ape

a still from our Dunes to Dales project with VisitBritain

DIGITAL APE

• Digital Ape was established in 2010 following the successful merger of two digital online publishers;

• Our mission is simple - to make great digital stories with brands;

• We have since with a number of brands including Coca-Cola, BlackBerry, Gap, VisitBritain, Ford, Ray-Ban amongst many others to bring their stories to life;

• Through our web platforms, we have access to a wealth of data, insight, creativity and know-how across the Middle East - meaning we know about trends as they happen;

• Our campaigns are targeted to utilise and reach influencers first - creating a much large impact than traditional campaigns.

CREATING GREAT DIGITAL STORIES.

DIGITAL APE

• It’s not the story, it's the way the story is told.

• "There’s a big demand for sight sound and motion because it’s very compelling" – Sheryl Sandberg, COO Facebook

• Anyone can create content, but the story is what engages people. A good story resonates like nothing else - it connects and inspires.

• Why? It's two-way - you tell, we listen.

• Our communities are what Google calls Gen C - they are about creation, curation, connection and community. We can connect the dots between a brand and a story.

At Digital Ape we:

• Create great branded stories about people and these stories are told by your consumers.

• We connect brands with our Gen C community and help to curate stories for brands.

CREATING GREAT STORIES.

DIGITAL APE

To make these branded stories we:

• Connect our production, technical and creative teams to create video stories centred around creative digital campaigns;

• This can be either just content to load on to your own platforms, or specially created microsites (across mobile, web and other digital platforms);

• Deliver complex campaigns efficiently - ensuring any promotion you do is delivered properly, with the right content, from Day 1;

• All our content is tailored for the target audience and is informed by over 4 years of data from our 3 web communities;

• Utilise our web platforms to mobilise influencers, creators and curators to expand your reach.

CREATING GREAT STORIES.

DIGITAL APE

We’re proud of our communities:

• We have over 1,000 creators ready, and willing, to create content and share their own content for, and with, brands;

• hellwafashion.com - launched in 2009, Hellwafashion is the Middle East’s longest-running fashion and lifestyle site - our community of designers, fashionistas, bloggers and lifestylers is unparalleled;

• triplew.me - launched in 2010, triplew and its Makshoof (discover) platforms across Film, Music and Photo has seen many artists get their first, and continuing, ‘big breaks’ with brands, labels and international organisations;

• We also maintain our creation targeted at the Saudi audience - wojhataliba3.com - which has been running since 2012.

Data, creators and digital know-how - the perfect mix.

OUR COMMUNITIES.

Our ExperienceTelling Great Branded Stories.

OUR WORK

HEKAYAT ELFORN • Through hekayatelforn.com (loosely ‘The Oven

Diaries’) we brought together 6 female bakers who operate small & micro businesses and told their stories;

• Through a dedicated microsite, Mindshare and Moulinex spent on media to attract their target audience to watch and engage with the videos;

• The key theme was baking - and how the Moulinex MasterChef Gourmet helps make the process of baking easier - all through the stories of the bakers’ small businesses;

• This capture two trends popular with a female audience at the moment - Baking and Entrepreneurship;

• The content was produced in Arabic, for a female audience in the GCC.

MINDSHARE/MOULINEX

OUR WORK

THE RECORDING ROOM

• Gap asked Digital Ape’s millennial/Gen C platform - triplew.me to create an engaging music project to attract millennial creators to

• The project, The Recording Room, was a call to action across the GCC, attracting over 100 bands to enter, with the ultimate prize being 7 days living and recording at Grouse Lodge studios, Ireland;

• From the entries, a shortlist of 5 was developed, and 2 videos for each artist was filmed. A multi-platform engagement strategy (social, Virgin Radio etc), centred around triplew.me then ensured the right audience engaged with the content.

• The campaign attracted significant impressions, increased engagement in all channels and overall significant increases in brand goodwill from the millennial/Gen C audience from triplew.me.

GAP

OUR WORK

DUNES TO DALES.

• VisitBritain asked Digital Ape, utilising our vast data from our online communities, to develop a creative approach to promote areas outside of London;

• In concert with the Sport Is Great campaign, and the Grand Depart of the Tour de France 2014 from Yorkshire, we developed the Dunes to Dales campaign;

• Taking 4 cyclists from Saudi, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE to cycle the Yorkshire Dales, and capturing the experience on film;

• Launched through a microsite - www.dunestodales.com - the content was rolled out with public competitions and personal stories of the cyclists.

• The campaign generated significant exposure for the countryside of Great Britain.

VISITBRITAIN

OUR WORK

NEW LOOK & ME • A 4-part series, the campaign was aimed at

engaging an Arabic-speaking audience only;

• Some interesting challenges for the project included the Saudi participant not wanting to show her face;

• A unique solution involved engaging with female film-makers in Riyadh to make the film - understanding the sensitivities, they produced the highest-performing video;

• The videos attracted over 300,000 views - because the content was relatable to the viewer. Creating this content helped establish New Look’s credentials in the Arabic market

• http://www.hellwafashion.com/videos/new-look-and-me-dalalid-from-kuwait

NEW LOOK MIDDLE EAST

OUR WORK

WOJHAT ALIBDA3

• Digital Ape created Wojhat Al Ibda3 (the Creative Destination) for BlackBerry to focus on the rise of creativity in Saudi Arabia;

• We gathered 5 of the leading creators (Muzaini, Animator; Ayzee, Musician; Omar Hussein, Comedian; Takki, Film-maker; Hythem, Photographer) to tell their story about how they developed into creators;

• Through an online platform, www.wojhatalibda3.com, created entirely in Arabic for the Saudi audience, the creators told their stories - all the while demonstrating that BlackBerry was helping them with the business of being creative;

• The campaign reached, and continues to reach, the legions of loyal fans of these creators. The behind-the-scenes style of the content was a popular content addition for the creators.

BLACKBERRY

OUR WORK

WORLD CUP 2014 HNWI PROGRAM

• Our direct experience of banking in the Middle East is related to a campaign we conducted last year for United Arab Bank which addressed a very specific need which United Arab bank faced;

• They wanted signups to a private banking deposit scheme, which were likely to convert, from HNWI’s in the Middle East who had $1.5 million use at their disposal to put into a long term bank account;

• The reward for this was a VIP trip to Brazil to watch the World Cup;

• We worked with the UAB brand ambassador world cup winner Fabio Cannavaro to create highly targeted engaging content aimed at HNWI’s in the Middle East;

• We created a microsite in Arabic and English (with the video content translated from Italian) and created an emotional connection between the High Net Worth Individual and Fabio Cannavaro.

UNITED ARAB BANK

DIGITAL STORIES.

• We are seeing a rapid increase in the use of mobile on all our platforms and campaigns, taking a mobile-first strategy in planning (especially for video - colour, framing etc), execution and promotion helps deliver stronger results;

• For example - we see a 120% increase in sharing when a platform is mobile-friendly;

• Women share content at a rate of 2:1 to males - and sometimes higher if the content is relatable;

• Video is key for the mobile savvy market but the content needs to be made locally and done in Arabic-first where possible;

• Any project should be built for longevity ( 1 year or longer) and should constantly monitor KPI’s - this drives engagement;

• The content must educate and entertain – understanding the audience is key to delivering great, engaging content.

WATCH POINTS.

www.digitalapemedia.com

Phone: +971 4 311 66 22

Email: info@digitalapemedia.com