Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi

Accelerating Interest with Snapchat

Eager to expand the appeal of the Liwa International Festival 2025, beyond its core audience of motorsports enthusiasts, DCT Abu Dhabi worked with Snapchat – and together they went full throttle.

From Awareness to Action with AR

The primary aim of DCT Abu Dhabi was to infuse a relatively niche passion with broader appeal. To prove this festival could be enjoyed by long-term fans and first-time attendees alike, it needed to raise awareness and drive consideration in a way that would truly resonate with a broad audience.

To engage Snapchatters before, during and after the event, DCT Abu Dhabi launched a phased AR campaign at the end of 2024. In partnership with Snapchat, it built custom AR lenses which featured a pre-event teaser and a voice-controlled dune-driving game. Working in tandem with these immersive experiences, DCT Abu Dhabi launched a series of Snapchat Ads. From desert plains to city skyscapes, the brand used this format to infuse the narrative with cinematic appeal, treating Snapchatters to a captivating overview of the festival.

Following the event, Snapchatters enjoyed a post-event MarkerTech activation which turned real-world car stickers bought by fans into animated AR thank-you messages. By leveraging Snapchat tools, DCT Abu Dhabi successfully brought the energy of the festival to members of the public outside the core racing community.

Driving Real Results in Real Time

The phased campaign was a clear success, generating an 8pt boost in Ad Awareness, which is 4 times higher than the Travel & Tourism Benchmark, and a 2pt boost in Action Intent ¹. The Lens generated a 9pt boost in Ad Awareness ³, and a 3pt boost in Action Intent ³. There was also a 10pt boost in Action Intent amongst 18-20 year old Snapchatters ².