The video released by the leisure and entertainment hub in Abu Dhabi is a clever take on The Bee Gees’ Stayin’ Alive. It has gone viral in the UAE and beyond.
Yas Island, a leisure and entertainment hub located just 20 minutes from downtown Abu Dhabi and 50 minutes from Dubai, has seen incredible social media results for its campaign, ‘Stayin’ on Yas’. Following three friends as they channelled the Bee Gees in a staycation like no other on Yas Island, the 60-second spot saw 16 million total online views while live for only 10 days.
Stayin’ on Yas was launched on social platforms on July 27, 2021. The campaign was developed by the creative agency Momentum UAE, with support from Dejavu and Starcom. It used the iconic music of the British band, the Bee Gees, as its core creative concept, and saw marked social and digital results within the first week of its launch. With three million views on Instagram and 1.4 million on YouTube, the campaign gained significant traction among UAE audiences targeting staycation visits. The campaign was shared over 21,000 times on social media.
Liam Findlay, General Manager at Experience Hub, the destination partner and promotional arm of Yas Island, says, “This incredible set of results speak for themselves. Stayin’ on Yas was a resounding hit with UAE audiences. As a destination, we have worked hard to ensure that Yas Island is top-of-mind for UAE residents when wanting to book a staycation. With our plethora of activities – the world’s fastest roller coaster at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, its tallest indoor climbing wall, and widest skydiving chamber at CLYMBTM Abu Dhabi, or its largest indoor theme park at Warner Bros World.TM Abu Dhabi – Yas Island packs a punch for all visitors.”
Apart from these, the 25 sq kms Yas Island offers holidaymakers a diverse mix: world-class shopping in Abu Dhabi’s largest mall, more than 160 dining options, seven hotels, and leisure and entertainment experiences such as indoor and outdoor concert venues, the Yas Marina Circuit (home to the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi GrandPrix), and the Yas Links golf course.
The campaign came following research into over 3,300 individuals across the UAE, revealing that 37.1 per cent look to spend time with their family members, that over a third are looking to relax while on a staycation, and that 42 per cent considered a beach a ‘must-have’ when on staycation. Over 25 per cent of respondents shared that they wanted to have fun when on staycation, with 34.1 per cent of under-24s listing fun as their top priority. Over a quarter also revealed that safety assurances were critical when considering a staycation destination.
Findlay continues, “These results underscore that, post-pandemic, UAE residents are keen to enjoy a vibrant, multi-activity staycation, and Yas Island delivers that in spades. Our research of audiences in Dubai and Abu Dhabi is indicative of the broader sentiment among those living around the nation.”
There’s surely a lesson in this for destinations across the world to showcase their own USPs as creatively.
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Lubaina Sheerazi, CEO & Co-founder, BRANDit