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Inspiration
This Saudi football campaign shows the power of taking cultural moments online
BY: Instagram Business Team
London, UK
Be inspired by how the #thereinspirit campaign brought young people together online around the Saudi pro football league—and read on to discover the top three takeaways.
When the Saudi pro football league resumed in August after a four month break, it was the perfect opportunity to bring the Kingdom’s young people together.
But with matches being played in empty stadiums and ongoing COVID-19 restrictions limiting fans’ ability to gather physically, the challenge became how to come together in support of the game while staying safe.
#thereinspirit was the answer. The campaign, which was Instagram’s first outreach program for teens in Saudi Arabia, encouraged young people to find creative ways to support their club from home—and the results show the power of the platform for taking big community events online.
The core of the campaign was a voice-activated filter with a confetti-like background showing the different colours of the clubs in the league. The filter also responded to commentary and cheers from the user.
To make sure as many people as possible could join in, the filter had a tappable option to select a preferred language, English or Arabic.
The effect premiered on beloved Al Ahli footballer Omar Al Somah’s account, where he also asked fans to encourage each other to stay safe by including the #thereinspirit (or #حاضرين_بالروح) hashtag in their posts.
The campaign achieved 3,400 filter impressions a day and 1,116 English or Arabic posts shared with the hashtag across Instagram and other social platforms.
In total, the #thereinspirit campaign achieved an estimated 72 million reach across the MENA region and widespread media coverage.
“This is a big moment for us—football has always been a great unifier in Saudi Arabia but with matches taking place in isolation, fans are being deprived of the energy of live, stadium events,” said Al Somah.
“This initiative is a great antidote—it channels that energy, excitement and exhilaration, unites our voices and shows the players on field that although we might be cheering from home, we are #ThereinSpirit.”
Three top takeaways from the #thereinspirit campaign
1. Know the conversations happening where you are
With over 14K users on Instagram debating and discussing past and upcoming matches, football was the most talked about sport on Instagram in Saudi Arabia.
The #thereinspirit campaign plugged into this discussion, and the English and Arabic options helped engage as many people as possible.
2. Connect with existing communities
Taking any event or cultural moment online is a challenge—but it’s easier if you can tap into communities that are already established.
Al Somah was just one popular content creator who shared #thereinspirit, with Instagram engaging with local advocates with high teen followings—like comedian Tariq Al-Harbi and film and sketch-maker Ibrahim Basha—to promote the campaign.
3. Make it personal
“Instagram is the home for creators,” says Instagram MENA strategic partnerships manager, Samer Jamal.
A campaign that allows users to create and share their own personalised content is perfect for the platform—and engaging influencers can help reach users to encourage them to join in.
BY: Instagram Business Team
London, UK