Everyone’s wildest wishes can come true at Riyadh Season. The task was to develop a campaign that introduced Riyadh Season to the world: to establish mass awareness and unleash the unimaginable magic that Riyadh Season holds.

This year, the General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia had big ambitions to increase visitors of Riyadh Season from 7 million people in the 2022-2023 Season, to the 12 million visitors that are expected for the 2023 - 2024 Season. The priority was to bring in visitors from the United States and Canada, Europe, and Asia, which led us to our target audience of families, who are willing to try something new with their vacation time.

Riyadh Season, hosting 8500+ activities over nearly six months, is a treasure trove of experiences. The campaign, spearheaded by "The Wish," unfolds a cautionary tale where Greg's desire for "a little more action" spirals into an extraordinary journey granted by the magical genie, Mike Tyson. Set in a lackluster beach resort, the film transforms mundane wishes into hyperbolic scenes mirroring Riyadh Season's attractions. From a psychedelic rollercoaster to laser-tag shootouts and a surreal boxing match between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou, the genie, played by Mike Tyson, amplifies each wish. The film concludes with a cliffhanger as Greg has two wishes left, urging viewers with a super: "Wish For More," to embrace the excitement at Riyadh Season, breaking free from the mundane.

In 2023, The General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia set big ambitions to boost visitors of the Riyadh Season entertainment festival by 5 million. This ambition was specifically set on families in the U.S, Canada, and Europe, seeking a departure from their routine vacations. With low awareness of the festival and city, we set out to earn recognition of Riyadh as a destination that holds unparalleled, magical experiences for everyone. To achieve this, our creative and media strategy needed to match the same grandeur as the festival itself. Our film “Wish”, led audiences through a cinematic experience, showing them how Riyadh Season transcends their wildest dreams. Through this narrative, we solidified Riyadh Season as one of the world’s top entertainment destinations where extraordinary experiences awaited.

The sonic elements at play in this film are integral to the narrative, as they both ground the film in the mundanity of reality, and function as the portal through which the viewer is transported through the attractions of Riyadh Season, each of which is supplemented by a bespoke soundtrack, which is further emphasized by the fluid sound design of each world. The elements used to craft this soundscape had to strike a balance between familiarity and absurdity, drawing the viewer in and preparing them for the ride ahead. The music composed for this film works in concert with the sound design as the effects and score are blended seamlessly to transport viewers from one dream world to the next in a visual roller coaster ride of a film, showcasing the limitless possibilities available to experience at Riyadh Season.

The film was a viral success, with over 132 million organic views across social channels, and over 1.1 million engagements on owned posts. This level of organic reach equates to an earned media potential of over $950,000.