BBC Arabic News Channel
On the 11th of march 2008, BBC launched their Arabic language channel in the Middle East and North Africa. At that time, the Middle East conflict was at its peak fueled by the American invasion in Iraq, and the horrific events in Gaza and south Lebanon. People in the Arab world felt betrayed by the western media, hence, gravitating strongly towards the Arab news channels such as Aljazeera and Al Arabiya.
To launch the new BBC channel, our task was to build trust and change the preconceived perception about the western news channels when it comes to BBC.
The positioning we took, was shifting the news focus from the event to the individuals affected by it.
The spots were crafted to give a genuine documentary look & feel. The deliberate effort to make them look raw and unpolished helped them connect with people at a much deeper level, and helped BBC gain the credibility it needed.
According to BBC post-launch research, the campaign scored a high success rate, and exceeded its target of viewership it generated for the channel.
On the 11th of march 2008, BBC launched their Arabic language channel in the Middle East and North Africa. At that time, the Middle East conflict was at its peak fueled by the American invasion in Iraq, and the horrific events in Gaza and south Lebanon. People in the Arab world felt betrayed by the western media, hence, gravitating strongly towards the Arab news channels such as Aljazeera and Al Arabiya.
To launch the new BBC channel, our task was to build trust and change the preconceived perception about the western news channels when it comes to BBC.
The positioning we took, was shifting the news focus from the event to the individuals affected by it.
The spots were crafted to give a genuine documentary look & feel. The deliberate effort to make them look raw and unpolished helped them connect with people at a much deeper level, and helped BBC gain the credibility it needed.
According to BBC post-launch research, the campaign scored a high success rate, and exceeded its target of viewership it generated for the channel.
