With 10+ billion impressions, the ‘Battle of the Baddest’ campaign was the single biggest promotional effort for a boxing match in history. A 360 campaign effort, the campaign featured a cinematic trailer, a global print campaign, DOOH, AR filters/microsite, the first-ever boxing promo on the Las Vegas sphere, a massive social and digital and real-world activations. On fight night, the boxers wore the real costumes from the print promos to walk into the ring. That’s how one integrated effort transformed boxing promos into a worldwide, interactive spectacle and treated a massive fight with the magnitude it deserved—as entertainment.

Riyadh Season is the entertainment destination in Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia, that runs for 6 months out of the year (October - March), and has something for everyone. From restaurants, to concerts and plays, to sporting events, to shopping.

While Riyadh Season has been around for several years, it has historically been a popular destination for mostly locals and visitors from other Middle Eastern countries.

The task by Saudi Media Company was to develop a campaign that introduced Riyadh Season, an entertainment destination in the capital of Saudi Arabia, to the world by creating promotion around its marquee event; the “Battle of the Baddest” boxing matchup.

The fight was between two undisputed kings of combat—World Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury and UFC Champion Francis Ngannou.

While Riyadh Season has been around for several years, it has historically been a popular destination for mostly locals and visitors from other Middle Eastern countries. 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, targeting sports fans and tourists.

For centuries, boxing has captivated a global audience. But the way it’s promoted still follows the same templated, tired format. We set out to turn it into a spectacle as entertaining as the fight itself.

First, we traded a stock montage for a cinematic trailer showcasing the fighters feeling the effect of each other as they trained—sending shockwaves back and forth and making the whole world rumble in the process.

Then, we replaced the standardized promo poster with a work of art that featured fighters as kings in collaboration with an iconic photographer. The response was so profound that unofficial merch surfaced the next day from unknown sellers.

Finally, we introduced AR filters, 3D out-of-home ads, and physical activations to reach fans globally. Ultimately, the creative transformed a passive and antiquated category into a boundless piece of interactive entertainment the world couldn’t get enough of.

Building anticipation for the fight, we teased the event through press and owned media, leveraging our “Battle of the Baddest” photography from Nick Knight. Once we had the world’s attention, we took a fast and heavy-up approach to rollout, condensing all of our media buys and promotions within a few weeks of the fight. Every lever of our ecosystem was in service of building a hype machine that made this cultural event feel omnipresent in the lives of our audience.

Riyadh Season's "Battle of the Baddest" was a multi-channel promo unlike any before it. A 20+ day campaign, encompassing pre-fight hype, launch, and event activation.

The placement scale had global reach – from Times Square and Seoul to MMA bars. Channels included cinema, 3D and DOOH, AR, digital, experiential, PR, and social media.

"Rumble" – a groundbreaking film – set the stage. Then, AI-generated portraits turned fights into "Kings”. Long-form narratives in culturally relevant locations like MMA bars connected fans. And London's AR training session blurred the lines, allowing fans to train alongside the Kings. The ultimate integration – both fighters donned campaign costumes in the ring, proving cultural osmosis and the campaign's impact.

BOTB wasn't just a campaign; it was a 360 integration of channels, content, and experiences. With 10.5B impressions, it’s easy to see why UK media outlets called it “the greatest boxing promo in history”.

The campaign had extraordinary impact, transforming a boxing promotion into a globally recognized cultural phenomenon that became, as one UK Media outlet dubbed it, “The Best Boxing Promo Ever Made.”

10.5 billion - total impressions.

$90.4B USD - estimated earned media value.

104,000+ - participants in online discussions with a 57% positive sentiment rate.

Exceeded attendance targets for Riyadh Season, attracting 12 million visitors, a 71% increase from the previous season's 7 million.

40% attendance outside of the region.

Iconic moment: Both fighters wore King costumes from the campaign during the fight.

Thousands of unofficial merchandise pieces released within 24 hours of campaign launch.