In Saudi Arabia, National Day inspires widespread celebration, with car parades as a hallmark of the festivities, showcasing the nation's pride, with vibrant designs.

However, new rules were recently introduced banning changing car colors, affixing pictures of leaders, spray painting and adding decorations to vehicles. These regulations clamped down on the festivities, posing a threat to this time-honored tradition. And Saudis were not happy.

We decided to not play by the rules. Our campaign sought to keep the spirit of these celebrations alive by shifting the venue from the physical streets to the virtual world.

We provided a creative solution to the restrictions, by replicating the joy and sense of community of real-world parades within a digital landscape, thereby creating a new way to continue this significant cultural event.

"MASEERAT CADILLAC," which means "Cadillac Parade" in Arabic.

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.

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.

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. By embracing this unconventional approach, we inspired others to follow suit, ultimately igniting conversations and fostering national unity.

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. Our campaign's impact transcended boundaries, inspiring other brands to join the movement.

The parade redefined how Saudis celebrate their heritage, creating a lasting legacy of virtual patriotism.

Reached 18.6 million people, resonating widely.

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.