We were tasked by Saudi Media Company to develop a campaign that introduced Riyadh Season, an entertainment destination in the capital of Saudi Arabia, to the world by creating promotion around its marquee event; the “Battle of the Baddest” boxing matchup.

The fight was between two undisputed kings of combat—World Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury and UFC Champion Francis Ngannou.

While Riyadh Season has been around for several years, it has historically been a popular destination for mostly locals and visitors from other Middle Eastern countries. This year, the General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia had big ambitions to increase visitors of Riyadh Season from 7 million people in the 2022-2023 Season, to the 12 million visitors that are expected for the 2023 - 2024 Season.

The priority was to bring in visitors from the United States and Canada, Europe, and Asia, targeting sports fans and tourists.

To launch the biggest crossover fight the world has seen, we showcased World Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury and UFC Champion Francis Ngannou not as mere men, but as kings. The idea for “Battle of the Baddest” was to represent Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou as two world class titans and highlight their unique journey’s to success. With visionary photographer Nick Knight, we made nods to each fighter's native background in print and OOH as a tool to add context around their stories. This human-centric approach not only heightened the allure of this unique match-up, but also helped to foster a deeper connection with the audience.

The execution is a full design system and collection of collateral assets that ranges from promotional materials to tickets, merchandise, on premise credentials, arena branding and even the fighters walk-in wardrobe and theme. Each design choice was the result of a rigorous audit of other/campaigns and influenced by the creative theme (battling Kings) as interpreted through each fighter's unique background. The result is a truly integrated system that has been hailed across the industry as “the best promotion of all time”.

This work was part of a multi-channel campaign that accumulated a staggering 10.5 billion impressions, which translated into an earned media value of $30.7 million. The campaign engaged over 104,000 individuals in online discussions which involved a 57% positive sentiment rate, solidifying its imprint as a resonant and positively received body of work. (Sources Netbase & Meltwater - PR Social Listening)