This campaign exemplifies the seamless blend of cultural celebration and digital entertainment. By integrating the MASEERAT CADILLAC parade into Forza Horizon 5, participants are treated to an immersive experience that honors Saudi heritage.

KSA National Day is a deeply rooted cultural festivity marked by vibrant car parades that express their patriotism. Saudis spray paint their cars, stick pictures of their leaders, accessorize with symbols of KSA, and fly their flag high. However, recent regulations have restricted street celebrations of this nature, and car parades with over-the-top exhibition of national pride have been prohibited. For Saudis who wanted to honor their traditions, this of course was very upsetting news.

This campaign harnessed the power of the virtual world, to transform a national custom into an online celebration. It allowed for an uninhibited expression of patriotism within the the gaming space, thereby creating a new tradition that resonates with the youth, while preserving cultural heritage.

Saudi Arabia is the biggest market and the largest source of business for Cadillac in the Middle East region.

For Cadillac, every Saudi National Day is a prime example of free brand exposure, every car becoming a carefully designed moving billboard flaunted through the nation's streets.

But with the recent road regulations that had to come to a stop for all automotive brands.

We saw that as the right moment for the brand to gain undivided visibility.

We transformed Saudi National Day celebrations in the face of new restrictions. Leveraging the virtual world of the Forza Horizon 5 game (Awarded the best game of 2023 by The Game Awards) and the allure of celebrating Saudi National Day like they always have, we introduced the first-ever in-game National Day Parade.

We partnered with Powr Rakan, one of KSA’s most popular gamers, to lead and invite people to join in, by creating their own Saudi inspired designs on Cadillac cars in-game. This ingenious move allowed Saudis to rekindle their patriotism while playing one of the best racing games of all time. We called it "MASEERAT CADILLAC," which means "Cadillac Parade" in Arabic.

By merging the thrill of driving with national pride, while showcasing their designs, we gave the tradition an upgrade and marked the beginning of a virtual celebration led by Cadillac, for KSA National Day.

Our strategy encompassed understanding our target audience - passionate Saudis who yearned to express their patriotism despite new on-road restrictions.

We recognized that gaming was a powerful medium to engage them, being one of the fastest-growing markets in the world, with a whopping 41.1% year-on-year growth.

In fact, a recent study found that there are now over 23 million gamers in Saudi Arabia, making up around 67% of the country's population (source: 2023 Active Player.io/Saudi Arabia)

To execute this, we partnered with a beloved KSA gamer (Powr Rakan) to lead the virtual parade, making it more relatable.

Our strategy was to provide Saudis with a new outlet to boldly showcase their patriotism and celebrate their nation, using virtual Cadillac cars as a canvas. We challenged the rules of the road by daring participants to freely raise the flag, fly their colors, and honor their leaders within the game.

Our execution followed a distinct communication plan with 3 key phases rolled out through out:

SPARK

To start the in-game parade, we partnered with Powr Rakan, a leading gaming influencer in Saudi Arabia, who challenged gamers to celebrate the day like they always have, but in the Forza Horizon 5 game.

IGNITE

Powr Rakan invited Saudis to create their designs on Cadillac cars in the game, and invited them to a Discord community to learn more.

ACCELERATE

On Saudi National Day, our virtual parade drew enthusiastic participation from across the nation, and was also streamed on Twitch, enjoying huge viewership.

Saudis freely raised their flags, displayed their colors, and paid homage to their leaders, forging a deep connection to their heritage and identity.

Reached 18.6 million people, resonating widely with more than HALF of Saudi's population.

Achieved 3X engagement compared to platform benchmarks.

Secured No.1 trending spot for gaming content on YouTube.

Garnered 67,000 live viewers on Twitch.

Drove an 18% increase in test drives, impacting business directly.