Dubai: Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) has received international recognition for its campaign ‘Into Books’. This successful initiative involved breaking stereotypes to helping individuals of all age groups around the globe to connect with the fascinating world of reading. It engaged 52 million people in 46 nations. The initiative scooped up three big awards at the prestigious Dubai Lynx 2022 — two gold and one bronze in the categories ‘Film’ and ‘Film Craft’.
The ‘Into Books’ campaign, with the slogan ‘If you’re into something, you’re into books’, resulted in SBA’s debut win at Dubai Lynx — the premier award for creative excellence in the Middle East and North Africa, reaffirming the emirate’s status as a regional cultural powerhouse.
SBA launched the international campaign in August 2021, in several Arab and international cities, with its messages prominently displayed at the New York’s Times Square and the picturesque tree-lined avenues of Champs Elysees in Paris. It was ferried around London on the iconic black cabs and was advertised across popular malls and streets in Riyadh and Cairo.
Campaign creates tangible impact
Part of the SBA campaign was a one-minute film whose high production quality, unique art direction and engaging narrative captured the imaginations of both children and adults from diverse backgrounds. The Dubai Lynx 2022 jury presented ‘Into Books’ a Gold Lynx and a Bronze Lynx award in the ‘Film’ category, followed by a second Gold Lynx in the ‘Film Craft’ category, lauding the campaign for having a tangible global impact, which is reflected in the massive audience engagement numbers.
Massive response
The campaign registered 78.38 million impressions across social media platforms, reached 52 million users in 46 countries worldwide, became the #1 trending topic on Twitter and led to book sales of more than 300,000 on various e-commerce websites that SBA partnered with for the campaign.
Khoula Al Mujaini, director of Exhibitions and Festivals at SBA, said: “This campaign embodies the vision and directives of His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, to continue strengthening the role of books in building communities. The campaign is also in line with SBA’s mission to support and promote the publishing industry in the region and around the world.”
Reaffirming impact of SBA
Al Mujani added: “These prestigious awards are a true recognition of our efforts. They reaffirm Sharjah’s impact on the international cultural scene and the emirate’s positive influence on global publishing [industry] and shaping knowledge-based communities. Through the campaign, we successfully changed the popular perception that books are only for intellectuals. Ultimately, ‘Into Books’ drove home an enduring universal message that whatever one’s interests or passions, there is a book for that.”
