Emirates Mars Mission ‘Double Moon’ Campaign Bags Award At Cannes Lions 2021

The ‘Double Moon’ campaign, which was organised in the run-up to Hope Probe’s arrival to Mars, bagged an Outdoor Silver Lion at the prestigious Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

The campaign, which brought Mars’ twin moons Phobos and Deimos to the skies of Dubai earlier in February using new technologies for the first time in the Middle East, was selected from 29,000 entries across 90 countries by a jury panel of leading advertising and media professionals.

Organised by the UAE Government Media Office, the creative campaign aimed to engage UAE citizens and residents and generate excitement a few days ahead of Hope Probe’s historic entry to the Red Planet’s orbit. The sight of rare two moons in Dubai’s skies was widely shared on social media by onlookers astonished at the scene.

Saeed Al Eter, Chairman of the UAE Government Media Office, said “In our media campaigns and activations, we integrate between traditional and modern media platforms to involve different target audiences in UAE’s projects and bring them together in celebration of the country’s inspiring projects that aim to build a better life for future generations.”

Alia Al Hammadi, Vice Chairperson of the UAE Government Media Office, stressed that innovation has become an integral part of the communication industry and key to raising public awareness on prominent national scientific missions like the Hope Probe.

“Winning international awards such as the Cannes Lions establishes the UAE’s image as a destination for creativity and talent in global consciousness.”

Khaled AlShehhi, Executive Director of New Media and Visual Production Sector at the UAE Government Media Office, said, “creative media campaigns are most effective in stimulating the interest and inspiration that meet the ambitions of the UAE’s mega projects. Using creative concepts, we simplified the complex scientific mission of the Hope Probe and helped people understand the ways in which the UAE’s historic space project will make our life better on Earth.”

He noted, “through the Double Moon campaign, we aimed to spark people’s imagination and curiosity about life on Mars and provide a deeper understanding of the larger-than-life objectives that the Hope Probe is set to achieve.”

The Double Moon high-tech projection was part of an extensive media campaign carried out by the UAE Government Media Office under the slogan “Arabs to Mars” to celebrate the Emirates Mars Mission, the Arab world’s first interplanetary exploration. The nationwide campaign saw a series of creative and ambitious activations including the Martian Ink passport stamps for visitors arriving in Dubai and baby astronaut suits for newborns on Feb. 9, the day the Hope Probe arrived to Mars.

The two moons that lit up Dubai’s skies, particularly in Al Qudra region, were the product of new advanced technologies, used for the first time in the Middle East, that utilized a 40-metre screen and two 100-meter cranes to create the illusion of Deimos and Phobos the names of Mars’ moons.

Established in 1954, Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is a global annual event that recognizes creative communications, advertising and related fields. Inspired by the Cannes Film Festival, the awards show is considered the biggest gathering of the advertising and creative communications industry. The five-day festival is held yearly in France, bringing together thousands of media professionals to network, discuss industry issues, and celebrate the creativity in brand communication.