Activating for ADNOC at the Abu Dhabi Marathon

Inspiring a new generations of runners

Throughout 2022, we supported ADNOC in delivering a campaign around its title sponsorship of the Abu Dhabi Marathon.

With our main focuses being employee engagement and enhancing the runner experience, we worked closely with ADNOC to deliver extensive employee communications in the build-up to the race, whilst on the race weekend we helped create engaging village and on-course activations.

Together with ADNOC’s sponsorship team, from inception to delivery, we were responsible for the Unplugged Webinar Series with Marathon expert, John Brewer – a flagship initiative which was part of the Marathon campaign.

Exclusive to ADNOC employees, the Unplugged Series was designed to ignite their passion for running and inspire them to participate in one of the Marathon races. Guests from ADNOC’s other partnerships – Al Jazira FC, UAE Team Emirates, UAE Jiu Jitsu Federation, and the captain of the ADNOC Running Club also joined John Brewer for an insightful deep dive into a number of running related topics.

ADNOC employees accounted for nearly 25% of all the participants in the Marathon, a resounding success and a huge increase from the 2021 race – a trend we will be looking to enhance next year.

In the months leading up to the Marathon, the ‘100km in 100 days’ challenge was born to encourage ADNOC Employees to run or jog  and complete 100kms in 100 days.  As well as having a Marathon focus, the challenge was all about increasing health and wellness offerings for ADNOC staff.

On Race Day itself – 17th December, the Marathon Village offered a plethora of activities suited to all ages, with ADNOC’s activation stand centred around leveraging their sports partnership portfolio, whilst also bringing to life the manifesto of unlocking potential and realising ambition.

A key objective for ADNOC was to help enhance the participants’ experience out on the marathon course and to make it as memorable as possible. With this, we created the ADNOC ‘Energy Zone’, situated 1km from the finish line. Aimed at creating a carnival-like atmosphere, the Energy Zone was filled with entertainers, a DJ, dancers, a cheering squad, and a sea of bright vibrant colour which created an iconic atmosphere for the final push towards the finish line.