AdBasha

Nestle "Egyptian Dolce"

2012-01-27T04:03:00.001+02:00

This is usually what happens when you have a weak idea; you end up with a lovely case study.

Heineken 'Color Your Christmas'

2012-01-27T02:53:00.002+02:00

JWT Beirut set up a huge unlit Heineken bottle outdoor made up of 400 neon bars, and encouraged people to log on to www.coloryourchristmas.com to help light up the bottle before Christmas.

Project: Color Your Christmas
Client: Heineken
Agency: JWT Beirut
Executive Creative Director: Iyad Zahlan
Creative Team: Carol Chehayeb / Lea Khlat

Sipes 'We Cover Everything' Ambient

2012-01-26T00:30:00.001+02:00

Leo Burnett Amman, wanted to show ~~the awards~~ people that Sipes has a wide range of paint colours that cover everything. So they created real life swatches and placed them on 2 buildings, a swimming pool, a tennis court, and a bus.

I have to say, the idea is pretty cool. The case study... not so cool. Slow VO, late and repeating imagery in the end. It's almost like they ONLY covered 2 buildings, a swimming pool, a tennis court, and a bus.

Digital Republic shortlisted at the MENA Cristal Awards 2012

2012-01-16T22:39:00.000+02:00

It's good to see Digital Republic making it's way into the awards. They were recently shortlisted in the Cyber & Mobile Category in the MENA Cristal Awards 2012, for their work for Axe and Birell.

In case you don't know them, Digital Republic is an Egyptian born digitally inspired ad agency. In only 2 years, they have managed to grow their team to 55 people cleverly head-hunting talent from the likes of JWT, Leo Burnett and FP7.

Today, Digital Republic interacts with over 2 million fans in the Middle East, fully managing the digital and social assets of huge brands including Mobinil, Coca Cola, McDonalds, Axe, Birell and Cadbury.

Below are the shortlisted entries in this year's MENA Cristal Awards:

MENA Cristals 2012

2012-01-16T02:14:00.003+02:00

This year, I'm planning to visit Lebanon and the MENA Cristals for the first time. Although I am looking forward to the festival, I am also looking forward to some serious partying, and visiting my mates. I'm not going to mention Lebanese women, coz that's a given.

The MENA Cristal Festival is going to take place at the snowy slopes of Mzaar from the 21-23 February 2012. I have always had the impression that the Dubai Lynx was like the Cannes of the region, so where does that leave the Cristals? Or maybe it's like the Champions League and the Europa Cup..

Either way, am definitely looking forward to the whole thing. Some shortlists were recently released, click on the link to download:

- Media Cristal Shortlist
- Promo & Direct Cristal Shortlist
- Cyber & Mobile Cristal Shortlist
- Production Cristal Shortlist

Infographic: Egypt Elections Explained

2011-11-28T00:31:00.001+02:00

In a bid to better understand the Egyptian electoral process, Al Jazeera have released an infographic, and because I love infographs, here we go:

Via: AlJazeera

Courage is Contagious - Grand Prix Winner at Gemas Effie Mena Awards 2011

2011-11-27T16:06:00.001+02:00

Agency: Interesting Times Beirut
Client: Snowball SAL
Brand: Lebanese Brew

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T22:08:00.001+02:00

Yes it's that time of year again when you have to sit and decide which halloween party to go to, and what the hell you're gonna wear?

I went to the Nassimi Beach party in Dubai last Friday. Insane! One of the highlights was going into the men's bathroom and finding a nun, caveman, and a whoopee cushion lined up next to each other pissing away. I hope I see that again.

Anyway because it's halloween, I thought I'd post some inspiration from around the world, since I don't see any halloween ads coming out of this region anytime soon, unless they involve Gadafi whipping the devil.

Evolution of the Ad Executive

2011-09-20T11:30:00.000+02:00

Advertising executives have come a long way in just the last 50 years. As our culture evolves, so do ad execs. They’ve got to stay on top of the latest trends, technologies, and taglines to remain relevant. We take a look at how ad execs have evolved over the last few decades in the infographic below.

Via: BuySellAds

Tired Creative Shoes

2011-09-14T11:49:00.002+02:00

The latest 'Tired Shoe' ad courtesy of Euro RSCG Casablanca. #FAIL

In case you weren't aware, here are two other tired shoe ads straight out of the Cannes Archives. The first is a commercial titled 'TONGUE' that was done by McCann for Stick Up Shoe Deodorant in Brazil in 1998.

The second was created by Leo Burnett Zurich in 2003 for AlpenArena.

Seeing all this doesn't only make the shoe sick, but me also. I have to agree with Euro RSCG's line in the first ad 'Enough Walking'....

Message from LG

2011-09-10T22:09:00.000+02:00

So I just received a message from the PR manager of LG in Egypt. Although I was hoping for a massage, it actually turned out to be only a message.

Christine, the PR manager, informed me that the ads created by Mohamed Gaber and Media Marquee were not commissioned by LG, and she believes they are hurting LG's image. She also said that LG will be taking serious actions with Mohamed Gaber. Oh and she requested that I remove them from AdBasha.

Yeah... So Christine... Baby.... Let me first thank you for your email. I am happy that you have exposed these set of ads for what they are. Believe me it was pretty obvious they were scam.

Now about hurting your image..... what image?
These are probably the nicest looking ads I have ever seen for LG in Egypt.
Sure there's no real idea here, and there's a funny typo, and off course the fact you didn't ask for them. But to be honest, these ads made me and everyone notice you. I mean I had never heard of the GW300 before these ads.

LG - Massaging Ads Of The World

2011-09-06T12:12:00.001+02:00

If you didn't already notice, these set of pretty ads should read 'Messaging', not 'Massaging'. Although Massaging is definitely funner. But what's funny is these ads were sent to Ads Of The World with a typo, and then to MediaMe without. And that my friends says a lot.

This is a classic case of a creative trying to make it big. He'll come up with the idea, write the copy and design the art. He'll bang a logo in the corner and send it to all the blogs in the hope of making a name for himself.

The only problem is, he did them alone. In my opinion these ads prove to me that this Mohamed Gaber character is a great Illustrator and that's it.

I don't really see any conceivable idea here, and to top it off, there's a typo.

Agency: Media Marquee, Egypt
Creative/Illustrator: Mohamed Gaber

Cottonil - Your friends are like your underwear

2011-08-17T12:50:00.003+02:00

Some provide comfort, some provide support, & some are just a pain in the ass. So when you come to choose, choose the ones you can reply on. Choose Cottonil. Our cotton speaks Egyptian.

Yes. Apparently Cottonil's cotton speaks Egyptian!! I don't exactly know what that line is supposed to mean. Do you? Hmmm... Maybe it means that their cotton has been through so much shit (literally), and so understands the needs of your ass. Their cotton can relate... It can speak to you... Yes... That must be it.

If the music in the ad sounds familiar, and you feel like you've heard it before, well that's because you have! The song is called l'apres midi by Yann Tiersen and was featured in the french film Amélie. This specific piece has been used in countless Egyptian commercials, so no marks for originality here.

Now apart from the 'line' and the 'music', I actually quite like this ad. It's refreshing and really stands out from all the garbage being aired this Ramadan. It's controversial; people either LOVE it or HATE it. A bit like Marmite!

It has dominated TV ad conversations in Egypt, and thus has really put Cottonil in the minds of consumers.

I guess the only question that remains to be answered is this:
What kind of underwear are you wearing or hanging out with right now?

Mobinil Ramadan Ads

2011-08-14T11:37:00.000+02:00

Fi kalam mat7ebesh tesma3o law enta el taleb

"Esma3 ba2a ya seedi"

"Tab khaleek ma3aya"

What a very funny and insightful campaign by Leo Burnett for Mobinil's Ramadan offers. Featuring the late Hassan El Asmar, these pair of ads really make me smile.

#VodafoneShokran thanks for teaching us a lesson on how to piss of tweegyptians

2011-08-08T13:00:00.006+02:00

Vodafone Egypt have done it again. Really, I mean after the whole taking credit for the revolution video a few months ago, you'd think they'd learnt something, or maybe their advertising partners would have. Sadly they haven't.

This Ramadan, Vodafone is running a 'Shokran' campaign. As part of the 'shokranities', their official twitter account started it all with the following:

So naturally, everyone on twitter decided to thank Vodafone Egypt for their involvement in the revolution. Thousands upon thousands of tweets. Here are a few snippets:

Vodafone claim that they had no option but to comply with the government. That their employees were unhappy with what happened during the revolution, but if they hadn't done what the government wanted, they would have been shut down and it would have effected millions of Egyptians for much longer than the cut-off time.

Unfortunately for Vodafone Egypt, the people of Egypt know what you did do, and not what you didn't.

As the great Don Draper once said "During the Depression, I saw somebody throw a loaf of bread off the back of a truck. It was more dignified."

Happy Ramadan from DR

2011-08-04T11:28:00.000+02:00

Axe Multiple Girlfriends

2011-06-19T11:57:00.000+02:00

A clever idea created by Memac Ogilvy Label and OgilvyAction in Tunis; this app generates a fake relationship status to make it appear as if the user is in a relationship with hundreds of women at the same time.

It's always nice to see noteworthy Interactive work from the region. This is definitely memorable and I can totally see my me and my friends commenting on each others' updates. A good laugh.

Agencies: Memac Ogilvy Label, OgilvyAction, Tunisia
Creative Director: Nicolas Courant
Associate Creative Director: Gérald Héraud
Digital Planner/Conceptualiser: Mehdi Lamloum
Art Director: Yassine Boughaba
Web Producer: Bedis Benamor
Web Developer: Kais Ezzine/eKay Consulting

Vodafone: Proud Sponsors of the Egyptian Revloution!

2011-06-06T14:38:00.008+02:00

I feel sick to my stomach watching this.

Firstly, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Ghazy and I write copy.

Vodafone Egypt JWT Ad Taking Credit For #Jan25... by andreasudo

Kaz asked me to blog about the controversy surrounding the case study released by JWT Egypt regarding their "Our Power" commercial made for Vodafone Egypt. As people ‘riding the freedom wave’ are one of my major pet peeves, I agreed.

Both Vodafone and JWT rode their luck by releasing the commercial on January 1st, just 23 days before the historic revolution that happened in Egypt. In fact during the uprising, many people joked that Vodafone instigated the revolution so their commercial could take all the credit.

In truth, people weren’t that far off.

Earlier this week, a three-minute video started circulating the Internet, which consisted of a JWT “case study” of the “Our Power” commercial. Even the blindest of bats could understand the message this video was conveying: “Without us, the revolution would have not been possible”.

The arrogance, naivety and sheer stupidity of releasing this video was incomprehensible and inexcusable. The main points I would like to focus on in this video are the first couple of slides and the last slide.

“For 30 years Egyptians have felt powerless. On January 1st Vodafone launches ‘power to you’ in Egypt”.

Really? So after 30 years, the “Our Power” commercial suddenly acted as Popeye’s spinach and gave the people the power to stand up for themselves? It wasn’t Tunisia? It wasn’t social media? It wasn’t those brave protesters trying to emulate their fellow countrymen?

Nope, it was a washed up comedian reading an unconvincing script for a boring two and a half minutes.

My absolute favorite part of the case study was this:

“We didn’t send people to the streets. We didn’t start the revolution. We just reminded them of how powerful they are.”

This was their get out of jail free card, just in case people complain. And complain they did. Looks like the tagline didn’t help their case and just made everything worse. They underestimated the intelligence of the public.

In all fairness though, Vodafone ‘officially’ had nothing to do with the video but as it was their brand that the case study was based on, criticism was inevitable. Come to think of it, they probably knew it was going to be released but because of their arrogance they didn’t expect there to be such a backlash.

What’s quite entertaining about all of this is that Vodafone were one of the main setbacks during the 18-day revolution. They cut off all mobile and Internet services for a period of time, making it more difficult for the protesters to gather. With no apology after the debacle, they decided to jump on the “freedom” bandwagon.

I feel sick to my stomach watching this. I work in a digital advertising agency and even though the revolution was without a doubt 30-40% digital, we try our utmost best not to ride the wave because in all honesty, we had nothing to do with the revolution. Brands and companies like Vodafone and JWT are taking the word “capitalize from” to a whole new level.

JWT MENA since apologized for what the Cairo branch has done. Vodafone on the other hand refused to apologize, and adamantly took the "it's got nothing to do with us" stance. It took me about 45 minutes to find a link to the video as they were all removed from sites such as YouTube, Veetle and DailyMotion under the request of Vodafone. Unfortunately for both, the damage was done and I honestly believe that whatever they do, they won't be able to bury the hatchet. Egyptians forgive but don't forget.

Finally, I would like to give a shout out to our 'savor' Wael Ghoniem.

He needs to be quiet.

He praised the commerical throughout the revolution and now after the case study was released, he provided us with a massive turnaround, condemning it. He was criticized (and rightly so) for trying to take all the credit for how the revolution panned out and now Vodafone/JWT are doing the same.

So just for one last time:

I feel sick to my stomach watching this.

Clorox - Easy to remove stains

2011-05-03T15:16:00.000+02:00

A simple pretty looking idea created by DDB Dubai. Shortlisted in the print and outdoor categories at #DubaiLynx.

Another simple pretty looking idea created by DDB Dubai for the same client, with the same copy, and apparently published in the same month. Hmmmmmm...

Executive Creative Director: Shehzad Yunus

Creative Director: Kartik Aiyar/Makarand Patil
Copywriter/Art Director: Kartik Aiyar/Makarand Patil
Account Supervisor: Krishnakumar G P

I should also mention that there's a third set of ads by the same team, for the same client, that also contain coffee and ink in them. I think it's safe to say that they were probably published in the same month as well :)p

Häagen-Dazs - Now in Cairo

2011-05-02T11:44:00.000+02:00

I can't believe this was even shortlisted at the #DubaiLynx. I mean really? Is this what Prasoon means by 'cultural'?? *FAIL

I think it's time some regional judges were introduced at the Lynx. Or at least someone who can tell the difference between something creative and something cliche.

Agency: Euro RSCG Beirut
Creative Director: Karim Achy
Copywriter: Karim Achy
Advertiser's Supervisor: Meryem Boutahir
Art Director: Vincent Repesse

Qtel - It's a Boy

2011-04-27T20:50:00.001+02:00

Created by Impact BBDO Qatar, this was shortlisted at the #DubaiLynx 2011 in the Film category.

Agency: Impact BBDO Qatar
Chief Creative Officer: Carlos Amseyan
Executive Creative Director: Waleed Kanaan
Copywriter: Ken Trevor
Agency Producer: Rany Sarouphim
Account Manager: Hilda Abdel Malek
Account Supervisor: Adham El Deeb
Production Company: THE FANTASTIC FILM FACTORY Beirut, LEBANON
Director: Wissam Smayra
Producer: Alain Toubia

This is part of a TVC campaign promoting Qtel's sponsorship of the Asian Football Cup - and all the emotions associated with the game. It builds on the insight that while there are many happy occasions in life, few give us the same cause for celebration as football.

Although I feel like i've seen this kind of stuff before, it's still pretty funny. I like the way the guy says "It's a goooooaaaal", although maybe if "It was a girl" rather than a boy it would have sounded even better (aliteration n all).

SAE Institute - Talent for Seeing

2011-04-26T18:04:00.003+02:00

This was shortlisted in the Film category at the Lynx 2011, and won a Bronze in the Film Craft. It's part of the "Your Talent Is Waiting" videos by TBWA/RAAD Dubai for SAE Institute.

Agency: TBWA/RAAD Dubai, UAE
Executive Creative Director: Milos Ilic
Copywriters: Stefan Ranjelovic/Milos Ilic/Deger Ozkan Cotelioglu/Breda Plavec
Agency Producer: Rouba Asmar
Advertiser's Supervisor: Predrag Toncev
Account Supervisor: Ismail Al-Ghussein
Production Company: SAE INSTITUTE DUBAI, UAE
2nd Production Company: FILMWORKS Dubai, UAE
Director: Stefan Randjelovic/Milos Ilic
Producer: Tim Smythe/Vesna Boskovic
Editor: Stefan Randjelovic
Sound Design/Arrangement: Salar Ansar/Zaher Akahchly
Music: Artist/Title: Ghadeer Abeidoh/Sofija Dugic/Milos Ilic
Animation: Stefan Randjelovic
Art Director: Milos Ilic
Cameraman: Sasha Bajac/Richard Latham
Cinematographer: Stefan Randjelovic/Milos Ilic
Director Of Photography: Richard Latham/Goran Jankovic
Post Production: Stefan Randjelovic

I have to say that is one of the longest list of credits I've had on this site so far.

Vodafone - The Power of Everyone

2011-04-21T15:09:00.000+02:00

The most celebrated win at the Mena Cristals this year went to JWT Cairo’s ‘Kowetna’ campaign for Vodafone Egypt, which struck a nerve given the situation in Egypt at the time. It led to a standing ovation from the audience at the Intercontinental Mzaar and was awarded the integrated grand Cristal.

At the Dubai Lynx the campaign won a Bronze Integrated Lynx and the film spot only managed a shortlist. See my review of it here.

Chief Creative Officer: Ramsey Naja
Executive Creative Director: Rich Wakefield
Creative Director: Luciana El-Gebely
Copywriter: May El-Naggar/Omar Elmoutaz
Agency Producer: Reem Megahed/Khaled Zaki
Planner: Hatem Elkashef/Shady Abdellatif
Account Manager: Heba Abdelmonsef
Account Supervisor: Mahmoud Hassan
Production Company: ASAP Cairo, EGYPT
Director: Rob Sanders
Producer: Amin Elmisry
Art Director: Asmaa Yehia
Cinematographer: Gyula Pados

Deraya - Bad Ad

2011-04-20T12:47:00.000+02:00

I can't believe this only got shortlisted at the Lynx. I laughed my ass off at this spot and had to watch it again. The creative dude looks a little like Jimmy from the Melody Drama ads. Right?

Agency: Full Stop Advertising, Jeddah, KSA
Chief Creative Officer: Kaswara Alkhatib
Creative Director: Kamel Alzaheri
Copywriter: Omar Hilal
Advertiser's Supervisor: Mohamed Alsayyad
Account Manager: Samer Bahsas
Account Supervisor: Samer Bahsas
Production Company: Made In Saudi Films Jeddah, KSA
Director: Omar Hilal
Editor: Omar Hilal

Etihad Airways - Shorter

2011-04-20T00:07:00.001+02:00

Agency: TBWA/RAAD Abu Dhabi, UAE
Executive Creative Director: Martin Lever
Creative Director: Timothy Brothers
Copywriter: Mark Williams
Art Director: Hiba Hassan
Agency Producer: Richard Forbes-Robertson
Production Company: Boomtown Productions Dubai, UAE

With Etihad Airways, long flights feel shorter. This whole 'time flies when you're having fun' feels pretty old and probably why these only made it as far as the shortlist at the Lynx I do like how quick, simple and straightforward they are.

Dacia Logan - Parking Sensor

2011-04-19T13:09:00.000+02:00

Agency: JWT Casablanca, Morocco

This was shortlisted at the Dubai Lynx 2011 in the film section. I like the local insight that's also true in Egypt: the 'sayes' acting like a parking sensor. Over here it sounds more like 'mashi, mashi, mashi, mashi, ta3ala, mashia....HOB!!'

Dubai Lynx 2011

2011-04-14T18:52:00.002+02:00

Attending the Lynx is something I look forward to every year. With entries up 52% from the year before, a change of venue, and staying with Lloyz, it was sure to be memorable.

The Venue: Madinat Jumeriah
This time around we had a change of a venue, which served really well because just a few minutes away was Brewsters (a cross between Brewskies and Roosters) serving up some juicy fajitas, burgers, and heart-throbbing things. Infront of the Lynx hall you could find a range of food and drinks including alcohol, which did come in handy until I discovered the Absolute Booth inside the hall giving away free cocktails. There was small and overpriced coffee available as well but I opted for the Cinnabon a few minutes away in the souk.

The Man: Lloyz
A good friend of mine living in Dubai and working at DDB, recently moved to a cozy apartment in the Greens. I must say, coming from a place where we have to actually plan ages in advance just to go for a swim, it felt really good looking out of his balcony, seeing a swimming pool, and knowing I could use it whenever I pleased. I only ended up using it once but still, the feeling itself is priceless off course...

Lloyz himself is a very lively character, an extremely talented creative, and an insane story-teller. Also he's probably the only person I know apart from Saad that can drink more than me. Good times bro!!

Opening Day - Sunday, March 27th
After registering and walking around I settled in to watch Banksy's academy-award nominated documentary "Exit Through The Gift Shop."

WOW!!!

I was intending to write a day by day thing but I can't be fucked now. So to cut it short, I really really enjoyed the Independent Agency Showcase. Ali Ali rocked, Yousef Tuqan was lively and Republique's reel was pretty good.

It was inspirational hearing Dr. Naif Al Mutawa talk about 'The 99' and the amount of success it's garnered from all over the world.

Lean Mean Fighting Machine talking about sixth sense technology, mind control and gesture technology was eye-opening.

Taxi were just fucking cool.

Armin from Jung Von Matt singing to the crowd, the CEO mob talking digital, and Eugene Cheong's charisma were all highly entertaining.

And now (drum roll) the work... Well considering this happened a few weeks ago, you all have probably seen all award winning entries already. So what I'm going to do is try to post the shortlisted entries that didn't win in the coming few weeks.

Finally I'd like to congratulate the organizing team behind the Dubai Lynx, especially Sandra who was very helpful and Steve Lane the festival director: Great job guys and thanks for all the alcohol. BASHA!!

Frequency - Sounds

2011-03-18T16:17:00.001+02:00

Winner of a Bronze in the Film category at the Dubai Lynx 2011.

Client: Frequency
Agency: FP7 Egypt
Creative Director: Hisham Kharma
Associate Creative Director: Montasser Khalil
Art Director: Fady Youssef
Copywriter: Sherif Doss / Omar Ahwani
Director: Hisham Kharma / Montasser Khalil
Editor: Khaled Khidr
Producer: Heba Radwan / Mohamed Abdel Aziz / Ashraf Hosafy
Sound Studio: Frequency
Sound Engineer: Hosny Ali

Good idea. I love the sounds, especially the evil air shafaat in the end :))

One comment, the mac keyboard and car interior just don't fit that vintage raw feel. Other than the whole thing feels low-budget which makes me like it even more.

Verdict: Basha!!

Bario your Mood Saviour

2011-03-06T08:25:00.003+02:00

We all know there are tons of Malt Drinks out there that have swept the Saudi and Egyptian market recently. Bario is positioned as your mood saviour. Whenever a good mood is under threat, it's Bario to the rescue.

Check this Hot-Headed wife out!

Agency: DDB Dubai

ECD: Shehzad Yunus

Creative Director: Firas Medrows

Copywriter/Screenwriter: Karim Hassan Sherif

Planner: Shahweer Saad

Production: V.I.P Films

Director: Marc Challhoub

Proud to be Egyptian

2011-02-13T19:38:00.006+02:00

Egyptians continue to write history.
Egyptians continue to change the world.
To the lovely people of Egypt, congratulations.
You're free.

"Free at last, free at last... thank God almighty we are free at last"

A New Hope

2011-02-13T09:12:00.005+02:00

No words could describe the recent events that took place in the ancient land.

A land that has been gifted to us since the beginning of time. A land that started the human movement to innovate and be tested, weighed, measured and found wanting. History has indeed proven how inevitable it could be by repetition. This time, it has been written in blood by a generation of men and women who represent the very fabric of mankind.

I seriously see many a tale that could be turned into motion pictures, telling the story of the brave souls that gave their lives for the freedom of their country. Our job is no longer to sell bottled air. But to touch hearts and pull out the truth from the bowels of the underworld.

If you are reading this. Take a moment to think what have you achieved in your lifetime?

Forget your Lions your Cleos, your OnesShows and your comfy A/C desks with color chalked laced walls. Take a moment to do something far more greater than all that put together.

I call on all of you, if you would permit me. To make a real difference. Lets be the Historians. Directors, DOPs, Screenwriters, Journalists, Photographers, Producers, Set Directors, Everyone is welcome to Join. Let's seize this moment and watch the events unfold in-front of us, as we begin to tell the tale in Film, about the recent events that shook the world, a country finally free. An Egyptian tale...

Death-toll of the Revolution

Location of deathsThe mostly confirmed
death toll
as of 11 February 2011
Alexandria52
Suez18
Asyut3
El-Arish1
Beni Suef17
Luxor1
Atfih1
Cairo232
Kharga Oasis1
Sheikh Zoweid, North Sinai1Abu Simbel1
Rafah3
Mansoura2
Deaths in other places hit by protests15
Total335

DDB and Brandcom become one

2011-01-18T13:22:00.000+02:00

DDB and Brandcom Middle East have officially merged their operations in the region and are now known as DDB (goodbye Brandcom the name). It's good to see DDB as DDB and not as TD&A DDB and Gulf Promoaction DDB. Thank god they've ditched all those complicated names and kept it at a simple DDB - the way it was intended to be.

In celebration of this union, here's a little video you may remember, or may wish to forget:

DIB - The Man Who Gave

2011-01-17T14:47:00.002+02:00

Thanks Dev for sending this in:

Production Company: Milkshake Media (www.milkshakeme.com)
Director: Moneer Barakat
Executive Producer: Dev Vaswani
Cinematography: Michael Brierley
Music: Matt Fady, BKP

Vodafone - The Simple King

2011-01-11T15:18:00.001+02:00

The latest ad from JWT Cairo for Vodafone Egypt features none other than the legendary Adel Imam. This is probably why everyone in Egypt is talking about it:

Friend: 'Did you see the new Adel Imam ad for Vodafone?'

Me: 'Yes. I did.'

Friend: 'And...??'

Indeed. And.... No marks here for originality. It is however a beautifully directed and well written spot. It's emotional and filled with real Egyptians. As much as we are all simple people, every one of us has the power inside to effect others. Our power isn't that we're 80 million people or that we're number 1, our power is in every one.

This formula is proven. Check out Leo Burnett's 'Egyptian Gestures' ad for Mobinil.

The Best Movie Posters of 2010

2011-01-10T01:18:00.003+02:00

Movie posters hang in a delicate balance between advertising and art. While one should never judge a movie by its poster, some are obviously more effective than others. Here are a few that I really like:

Chevrolet - Hand-drawn Billboard

2010-12-13T01:18:00.004+02:00

Agency: Leo Burnett, Dubai
Illustrator/Salesman: Unknown

I like the idea of drawing on a billboard. That's it!!

Now whether this will save money or not is another matter. And whether this billboard will actually survive (considering that Beirut and Alexandria have been pounded by heavy rains and winds over the last day or so, and much of the region is expecting rainfall) is again debatable.

Another thing bugging me is that it's pretty hard to read. The camera zooms in at the end, yet I find myself squinting. Now put me in a car on that road with that eye-straining yet catchy billboard, and I probably won't have enough money indeed: to cover my hospital bill for when I have an accident.

So, to conclude. This billboard is catchy but not very practical.
The video is pleasant, the copy needs some work, and the illustrations would probably look better in print.

Come to think of it: Maybe Leo Burnett should do some hand drawn posters or flyers and hand those out. At least people would be able to read them!!

La Senza: The Cup Size Choir

2010-12-05T12:10:00.004+02:00

Here's a little something to get you all in the right Christmassy mood. La Senza have aced this one with a fun, interactive take on bra cup sizes. The interactive application features a row of 7 underwear models ranging from A cup to G cup laying on a bed side by side, each model representing a different musical note that she will sing when you press the allocated button on your keyboard.

www.cupsizechoir.com

Batelco presents "Infinity"

2010-11-21T00:53:00.002+02:00

Bahraini telecommunications company Batelco is set to release a multi-million dollar film that is believed to be the biggest of its kind ever produced in the Middle East. The film, called Infinity, will roll out across online, cinema and television screens in October and is the culmination of more than a year’s work.

The film promises to take viewers on “a journey through people’s ideas”, signifying the potential of their ideas and how they come to life. However, Batelco would not reveal how long the film is, exactly how much it cost, and whether it is a feature film, TV movie or an extended TVC. The worldwide premiere is set for release online sometime in October.

Conceptualised by FP7 Bahrain and led by creative director Fadi Yaish, the film is directed by award-winning German duo Alex & Steffen, while Beirut-based City Films worked as the production house. Unexpected Gmbh of Germany handled post-production and the film was produced in co-operation with Spy Films in Toronto. The music was composed by the Cannes-winning AOC, based in Paris.

Batelco has been investing heavily in its brand following the creation of the company’s new brand identity at the tail end of last year. A number of campaigns have already been released this year, particularly during the first quarter, when Batelco sought to consolidate its position within the telco market ahead of the entry of a third operator in the country, Viva.

Via: Campaign Middle East

Trailer 1

Trailer 2

Accessories Required

2010-11-15T19:22:00.004+02:00

Interesting set of ads promoting the Harvey Nichols Autumn/Winter 2010 collection. People who bought these Harvey Nichols items also bought tasers, altitude sickness pills, pepper spray, a defibrillator, an evil eye charm, lipstick stain remover, smelling salts, self defense books and airhorns. I like!!

Creative Agency: Y&R, Dubai

Creatives: Shahir Zag, Komal Bedi Sohal

Photographer: James Day

Planner: Nadine Ghossoub

Tiger Chips

2010-09-03T04:19:00.000+02:00

Agency: Direct Ad (a Tarek Nour agency)

Copywriter: Ahmed Mokhtar

Business Development Director: Seif Kandil

Account Manager: Haytham Fahmy

Director: Mariam Abu Ouf

Interesting idea. Catchy copy.

SCIB - Every Wall Has A Story

2010-08-25T21:34:00.002+02:00

Agency: Leo Burnett, Cairo

Creative Team: Hesham El-Labban, Mohamed Kamal

Communication Team: Christine Ghobrial, Haitham Nassar, Hani Seliem

Directors: Ubik

Production Company: Not To Scale

Producer: Lisa Hill

Production Manager: Kelly Ford

DOP: Simon Paul

Grade: Ben at Glassworks

CocaCola - Supermarket Surprise

2010-08-13T15:22:00.001+02:00

Agency: FP7, Cairo

This is part of the Coke Global 'Open Happiness' campaign. Someone paying for all your groceries can't be a bad thing. If I was there, I'd totally try to get all the stuff I can't afford, and get Coke to pay for it. I call it 'Buying Happiness'.

Mercedes-Benz "Emirates Take Off"

2010-07-29T13:31:00.001+03:00

Agency: Impact BBDO, Dubai

Executive Creative Directors: Jennie Morris / Jeremy Southern

Art Directors: Mark Held / Andrej Arsenijevic

Group Account Director: Fadi el Aswad

Account Manager: Albert Lorenzo

Copywriters: Grant McGrath / Darren McCall / Jeremy Southern

Director: Omar Abbas, Boom Town

Congratulations to Impact BBDO Dubai for taking home a Silver Lion in the Film category for its Mercedes-Benz “Emirates Take Off” campaign, contributing to the BBDO network winning ‘Agency Network of the Year’ for the fourth year running.

The award-winning commercial created by Impact BBDO was aired on Emirates in-flight movie screens at exactly the same time as the plane was accelerating down the runway allowing viewers to experience the incredible G-Force for themselves.

With work for more than 40 clients, 21 BBDO agencies from across every region came together to set another record of winning a total of 85 much coveted Lions that spanned all forms of communication from Cyber to Design, Direct, Film, Media, Outdoor, Press, Promotion, PR, Radio and Titanium/Integrated.

Dani Richa, President of Impact BBDO Group, said “This is another year in which we celebrate our creative supremacy, not only on a worldwide basis but also within our region. By staying true to our creative culture and reputation of always putting ‘The Work, The Work, The Work’ above all else, we have contributed to our share of lions.”

Alarm Clock Abuse

2010-07-28T13:29:00.007+03:00

Agency: Marcom, Egypt

Advertiser: Nile FM

Service: The Wake Up Call

Creative Director: Karim A. Yusuf

Copywriter: Karim A. Yusuf

Art Director: Ramy Abd El Azim

Illustrator: Ramy Abd El Azim / Ayman S. Anwar

Advertiser's Supervisor: Lara T. Helmy

Open Happiness Vending Machine

2010-06-18T02:43:00.001+03:00

Part of Coke Global 'Open Happiness' Campaign, the below idea produced by Atlanta's Definition 6 won a Gold Clio in the interactive category. A Coca-Cola vending machine is transformed into a happiness machine delivering "doses" of happiness. Where will happiness strike next?

Leo Burnett Cairo and Y&R Dubai win at Clios

2010-06-18T02:24:00.004+03:00

Leo Burnett Cairo has won a silver clio in the print category for its Egyptian 'burger', 'hotdog' and 'pizza' campaign for Heinz. The campaign that won the Grand Prix in the print category of last year's Lynx awards has now won them a Silver Clio as well. Click here to see the campaign.

Also on the winning roster is a piece created by Y&R Dubai for Harvey Nichols. This one managed to grab a bronze in the print category as well:

Agency: Y&R Dubai
Photography Studio: Remix Studio, Bangkok
Executive Creative Director: Shahir Zag
Creative Director: Parixit Bhattacharya, Kalpesh Patankar
Art Director: Kalpesh Patankar, Parixit Bhattacharya
Account Executive: Nadine Ghossoub
Copywriter: Parixit Bhattacharya, Kalpesh Patankar
Photographer: Anuchai Secharunputong
Illustrator: Remix Studio Bangkok

Band Aid: Hulk

2010-06-07T01:59:00.007+03:00

Advertising Agency: JWT Dubai, UAE

Executive Creative Directors: Russell Heubach, Chafic Haddad

Senior Art Director / Copywriter: SM Ziyad

Illustrator / 3D Artist: Tarek Samaan

Planner: Prabhakar Iyer

Account Manager: Rochelle Barreto

Via: AdsoftheWorld

Ice Cream Dolce bel 3asaleya

2010-06-04T18:08:00.002+03:00

Ice Cream bel 3asaleya: A mad product deserves a mad ass campaign.
The people behind these ads did not disappoint. Featuring some intense DHARMA-TIC art direction, insane mixes, and an honest line.

Verict: BASHA!!

Credits: JWT walla eih?

Ariel: Hadaryyyy

2010-05-30T00:48:00.001+03:00

I am speechless!

Birell - Being A Man Ain't Easy

2010-05-28T16:39:00.000+03:00

Agency: Leo Burnett Cairo

Melody Drama - Part 2 Meen Boobi?

2010-05-18T01:43:00.001+03:00

Agency: Leo Burnett Cairo

See part 1 here

Hahaha.... very entertaining stuff. I like how they use their own jokes: "aywa ya wadeeee3"... it really is part of culture now. Also that nail scene in the end gives me flashbacks of that viagra nail ad... remember??

Don't try to be an Egyptian!

2010-05-17T00:35:00.000+03:00

Agency: Tarek Nour Advertising
Creative Team: Karim Ayesh, Basel El Deeb, Sevag Der Sarkissian,
Mohamed Sherif, Mostafa Sherif
Producer: Amr Zakaria
Client: Hyundai
Year: 2010

II'm glad the creatives at Tarek Nour are starting to put it together. Great work here. Good insights and nicely executed. Keep it up guys!

How to piss off a Panda!

2010-05-16T18:11:00.001+03:00

Agency: Advantage Marketing & Advertising

Country: Egypt

Mobinil - Al Masry Line

2010-04-27T01:57:00.003+02:00

and then there's this older video I found:

Agency: Leo Burnett Cairo

Hmmm... I was loving this campaign till I stumbled on those fingers skating away on YouTube. Off course there are thousands of videos and ads showing hands dancing, fingers talking and so on and so forth. So nothing really that fresh. However giving credit where it's due, I like how the fingers all denote the number 8, and they're all dancing, having fun and talking together. Good idea. And it's nice seeing them on billboards while I'm driving to work. Nothing like a good hand job in the morning!

Melody Drama - Part 1 Jimmy Habibi

2010-04-11T22:47:00.011+02:00

Melody's new campaign first impressions:

Oh it's that exaggerated guy from Ramadan / Tarek Nour / Sosta / (~~ya bedaaan~~), wi Ganz wi Nicole kamaaan - they're going all out aren't they? Shakl kida mafeesh fekra awi.

Where have I seen those twins? The secretary... say3a gidan, sexual innuendo is not only normal now it's expected. Gamal Marawan saye3. Boobi, yikhribeet tezha. Amusmus!!

Hah. Abrupt abrupt abrupt ending.

Verdict?

I like the direction they're taking for Melody Drama. Creating their own little dramatic episodes has a lot of potential considering everyone knows the Melody characters by now.

Generally I was pretty entertained and left looking forward to the second part. So 7.11/10 with the potential of growing on me depending on future episodes.

I would really appreciate your impressions on this campaign, but what I would really like to know is - in your opinion, is that sosta Hamzawy dude zareef walla badeen?

Dubai Lynx 2010

2010-03-22T02:40:00.005+02:00

So after a week in Dubai, mingling with the advertising horde and clients alike, I'm actually glad to be back to the mayhem of Cairo. No surprises at Leo Burnett Cairo's Grand Prix in the TV and Craft categories for the Melody Aflam work. Excellent as always, although very surprised that their Mobinil 'Gestures' ad could only muster a shortlist, and amazed at how their entertaining and insightful spots for Birell Football didn't even get shortlisted. Makes me wonder sometimes.

Also Elephant. Who the hell are Elephant? I mean cool name 'n'all, but is this FP7 in disguise or what?
Ali Ali tells me they have nothing to do with FP7. Mashi. Irregardless, excellent work for Lika gum that I've never heard of or seen that won Grand Prix in the print category and gold in the outdoor. Off course the children that do chew that gum will be having very sweet dreams I'm sure. Their work for Coca-Cola is great though I do wish the DubaiLynx site will sort itself out and make us able to view the damn entries.

I am very surprised at how few entries actually won in the TV and Radio categories. I also turn a little purple when I think of the Interactive Viewing section with 9 year old Internet Explorer 6 installed on all computers. I hope the judges weren't using those for judging.

Memac Ogilvy label Tunisia, bravo on their Interactive Grand Prix, a first finally for the region. Elephant's 89 fans from 89 - fully deserved Grand Prix winning Integrated Campaign, seen all over Egypt and got everyone talking. Basha!

David Nobay, John Hunt and Chuck Porter, great fuckin seminars.

Creative Club Party - full of obnoxious idiots. Except for that Algerian chick I met, yes she is Algerian but very hot and from the client side.

The awards ceremony, our table was right next to the bar hence us getting completely smashed. Congrats to Memac Ogilvy & Mather Dubai for not sitting down all night. Amir Kassaei, 1600 awards yet surprisingly overshadowed by the presenter in red. And finally congratulations to Saatchi & Saatchi Dubai who won Grand Prix for their outdoor ambient antics for Dubai Metro - writing on abandoned dusty cars that are all over Dubai that the Metro rules. Great!!

I guess I'm a little pissed off that our one humble entry in the poster section for Nile FM didn't even get a mention. But then again, who the fuck are we right?

"The Wake Up Call - preventing cruelty against alarm clocks"

Parachute Scented Hair Oil

2010-03-10T10:37:00.004+02:00

Agency: DDB Dubai

Senior Art Director: Dinesh Gore

Copywriter: Lisha Mansukhani

Clorox Bleach Pen

2010-03-10T10:16:00.006+02:00

"Small stains will just have to get tougher"

Agency: DDB Dubai
Executive Creative Director: Adham Obeid
Associate Creative Director/Art Director: Guido Pecego

Sprite - howa kida

2010-02-27T12:48:00.001+02:00

Sprite have rebranded (again). Their last yin-yang style logo was an overdone disaster, so I'm glad they've changed it. Billboards and magazine ads have flooded Cairo (along with a day of thunder, showers and insane traffic) showcasing their new look which sees a return to the logo of the past (thankfully) with splashes of modernity added to it. Accompanying the change are these two spots:

First it was: Ana Kida, Ana Sprite
Then it was: Ana Kida, Sprite
And now it's: Sprite, Howa Kida

Interesting set of ads although I do like the 'Ana Kida, Sprite' art direction more. I like the ad with the girl much more, I feel it has more truths, stronger insights and better copy than the guy's attempt.

Why I Love Campus Magazine

2010-02-23T02:21:00.000+02:00

Campus is a big glossy in-your-face great-for-ads magazine distributed in Egypt. It's free, funny, well designed, and the only magazine that can leave you in awe thinking 'how could they publish this'?

The quality of content is debatable, but none the less, Campus is great toilet fun.

I mean who can get away with writing such a classic new story about 'Akbar Zeb', the Pakistani Ambassador in the UAE:

Akbar Zeb will remain forever Akbar Zeb. Amen!

Shoof baladak ya Lloyz!!

2010-02-11T01:53:00.000+02:00

Full page in a leading Egyptian newspaper... Aywa ba2a...

Agency: Leo Burnett, Egypt

Tasali - DJ

2010-02-08T15:19:00.004+02:00

Tasali chips revamped come-back. Yet a mysterious question tickles one's curiosity... "How on earth do they make those ridges?"

Agency: DDB Dubai

Creative Director: Adham Obeid

Art Director: Joy Younis

Associate Creative Director: Guido Pecego

Copywriter: Karim Hassan

Director: Andre' Chammas

TASALI Chips - Bruce Lee

2010-02-08T14:57:00.004+02:00

Tasali chips revamped come-back. Yet a mysterious question tickles one's curiosity... "How on earth do they make those ridges?"

Agency: DDB Dubai

Creative Director: Adham Obeid

Art Director: Joy Younis

Associate Creative Director: Guido Pecego

Copywriter: Karim Hassan

Director: Andre' Chammas

Birell - The Official Sponsor of Egyptian Men

2010-01-11T14:48:00.002+02:00

Agency: Leo Burnett Cairo

Excellent work. Simple, well-acted, insightful, very funny and just in time.

Basha!!

An Unclaimed Claim of Patriotism

2009-12-27T17:26:00.001+02:00

Lately I've noticed a bunch of billboards across Cairo viewing the Egyptian Flag. Just that, no sponsors, no advertisers, no agency name, nothing. Just the flag. You can spot a couple on the 6th of October bridge drive, and you can see some in Zamalek, some in Down Town and some random ones in other places.

Now..these flag billboards came to life shortly after the Egypt/Algeria Fiasco, and have only increased since. I'm not sure what they're trying to convey by them, because they seem to claim patriotism, and this definitely isn't what patriotism is.

I have never seen something like this in Egypt before, not in dire times, not in war memorials and ceremonies, not when egyptian doctors were being flogged in S.A and not when the ferry sinking killed hundreds, nor when at the beginning of this year the Arab world turned against us and dubbed us traitors and attacked our embassies in their respective home countries during the attack on Gaza..yet low and behold, we have remembered our sense of patriotism because of a football game. Not to mention that during football games the Egyptian flag nourishes the most, in all senses of the word.

Fine, Perhaps you need to remind people of whatever. You know what, at least do it right and don't settle for the first couple of flags that pop up on Google Images when you search Egyptian Flag.
The Arab Republic Of Egypt's flag consists of a strip of red, white and black.
In the white strip there's a Golden Eagle, carrying on its breast a shield with the flag's colors — but with a vertical instead of a horizontal configuration. The Eagle is facing the viewer's left, also known as Dexter, which means to the right of the bearer of the arms, and to the left by the viewer's eyes. Also known as the honorable side.
Just a thought..

Cottonil - A Tale of Undershirts and Boxers!

2009-12-16T18:13:00.002+02:00

It literally says that...

Cottonil

حكاية...فانلة و بوكسر
Vega Body
That's all I wanted to say really..

Taste the Rainbow

2009-12-16T08:51:00.007+02:00

Again, living up to the name of their dynamic surreal communication. TBWA/CHIAT New York bring to the super-bowl screen a cannes winning stomach tickling piece about a man getting a suit tailored by a funny Thai guy arguing with a Filipino guy, from there skittles takes on the rest. Long Live the Rainbow!

Released: Jan 2009

Agency: TBWA\CHIAT\DAY New York

Country: USA

Awards: Canned lions film Bronze 2009, Clio Bronze TV 2009

The 10 Most Important TV Commercials Of The Decade

2009-12-10T15:16:00.003+02:00

As the year is coming to an end, everyone is realising it has actually been 10 years since the millenium and the break of the new century.. An entire decade.

The Business Insider lists the 10 most important commercials of these ten past years. They're all brilliant, diverse and quite impressive! Some we've seen across the years like Dove's Evolution and more recently Will.i.am's Obama "Yes we can", others were my first and I was absolutely wowed..

Here are a few highlights from the list:

Here are the rest:

Ikea - Lamp

Cadbury - Gorilla Ad

Barack Obama-Yes We Can

Xbox Halo 3 - Believe

Honda - The Cog

Dove - Evolution

Bud Light - Swear Jar

All really worth taking a look at...

You can also check out the 10 Brands that won't be making it to 2010!

'BQ ... it's cool to be dramatic'

2009-12-06T16:49:00.005+02:00

Bq..the firt line of sunglasses designed in the UAE

Impressive (& a little weird I think) FITCH Dubai is transforming "tradition to fashion" with this new line of sunglasses supposedly designed to replace the burqa.

Their Website has a very chic look & feel and an overall expensive sort of touch, which I believe fits nicely with the recent positioning of UAE and its nationals; their models look young and stylish and more importantly, they look Emirati.

As for the shades, they may not be my style, but I can't deny they look quite fancy.

On the website, girls can upload their personal picture to see how the shades would look on them. Pretty cool.

However, I'm not sure about the initiative itself. I'm all for modernization and adapting culture and tradition to match the contemporary world, as they put it, because of globalization, but it feels like a clash of some sort. After all, the glasses are just a substitute for the original face cover.

Face cover and globalization just don't fit in the same sentence for me.

I am impressed by the overall project though and by their "making of" movie.. yet for $1Mill (USD) bq is still a 'concept' it seems, as the website encourages registration to help make it become a reality.

Hmm...

"Zeitgeist" : "the spirit of the times"

2009-12-03T15:58:00.007+02:00

2009's Google Zeitgeist Report is out...in their own words, Google aggregates millions of search queries they receive every day,which help offer insight into global, regional, past and present search trends. These tools are available for us to play with, explore, and learn from.

Unfortunately, Egypt didn't make it on the Zeitgeist report this year, however, the Global Report shows some interesting and fun insights worth taking a loot at. As for the Middle East and Arab World, UAE was the only country from the Region with a 2009 Google Zeitgeist Report. Enjoy

2009-Year End Google Zeitgeist Report: Global
Michael Jackson

Fastest Rising

1. michael jackson

2. facebook

3. tuenti

4. twitter

5. sanalika

6. new moon

7. lady gaga

8. windows 7

9. dantri.com.vn

10. torpedo gratis

Fastest Falling

1. beijing 2008

2. euro 2008

3. heath ledger

4. barack obama

5. amy winehouse

6. kraloyun

7. dailymotion

8. bebo

9. wii

10. emule

2009-Year End Google Zeitgeist Report: United Arab Emirates

Fastest Rising
1. حرب القبائل (tribal wars game)
2. gitex 2009
3. نت لوق (netLog)
4. flydubai
5. بلاك بيري (blackberry)
6. ramadan 2009
7. twitter
8. ستار اكاديمي 6 (star academy 6)
9. etihad airways booking
10. kingfisher airlines booking

Aflam 3araby. Om El Agnaby. Cont. II

2009-12-01T18:32:00.006+02:00

The Truth Behind Seven:

The fact that these two characters have entered Egyptian Pop-Culture History is prevalent of the magnitude of these few commercials. With almost every other random conversation now involving something "Ya Wadee3", and facebook fan pages including more than 60,000 fans, it's quite apparent just how clever and successful these commercials have proved.

Despite what the actual spoof is, or whether my last post on this saga gave them a thumbs down, it takes real creativity to come up with a timeless catch like this one.

As for the truth behind Seven, especially in regards to the actors mimicking Brad Pitt & Morgan Freeman, who did an excellent job in getting a genuinely loud laugh out of viewers, or at least me and some friends, this one is really something else.

The direction and the background music that accompany the narration of the 'seven deadly sins' is such a refreshing change to the last two Melody Aflam Spoofs...where the camera movements really aid the story board and the music builds up the comedic climax.
Even the dialogue, and acting, and specifically the choice for the substitute production "Ice Cream fi Gleem" make this an overall genius collaboration. I hope Brad Pitt gets to see this, I love it!

Melody Aflam's Redemption...Bravo!

Aflam 3araby. Om El Agnaby. Cont.

2009-11-08T12:55:00.004+02:00

Since credit must be given where credit is due, I must congratulate the creative minds behind the 'concept' of this campaign. Poking fun at deliberate failure on our movie producers' part and the fact that we are able to produce blockbusters but sort of just 'choose' not to IS funny.

I found the first two to be genius.

Then it sort of got old. The Truth behind Dances with Wolves felt incredibly long as it borders 3 minutes and isn't all that funny. I cringed a little at the dialog but thought okay, interesting.

With Brave Heart, I'm not sure if it was offensive, or lame, or maybe it really got old this time. But I didn't appreciate the humor, nor the inclinations, nor the acting. AT ALL. An idea is good as long as you don't over use it. That's my opinion anyway.

Agency: Leo Burnett

Country: Egypt

Client: Melody

Egypt Vs. Algeria - Déjà vu

2009-11-04T16:13:00.003+02:00

In what can only be called a brilliant initiative, CocaCola brings its fans an utter sense of nostalgia, mixed with goosebumps and smiles and even loud laughter.

With their latest National Football Team sponsorship campaign, "1989" marks some of the best commercial content I've seen in a long while.

20 years ago, same two teams, same crucial crossroad, same month...Egypt and Algeria met for a World Cup qualifying game; A Special Dedication to 80 Million Egyptians.

Check out their Campaign's website here too

Bravo! This is Excellent

Grooveshark: The New Deezer

2009-11-02T17:14:00.007+02:00

Remember those days when you could stream any song you wished, really quickly, share it with your mates, create a playlist and check out other people's??
Remember those pre-new-look-deezer days when it was all free, and how you got addicted to it so quickly... Well those days are long gone coz Deezer ain't free anymore.

But not to worry, Grooveshark is here and it fuck** rocks!!!!

Five star... Naturally

2009-10-22T20:23:00.008+02:00

Advertising Agency: FP7, Oman
Creative Director: Noufal Ali
Copywriter: Arun
Art director: Noufal Ali
Graphic Designer: Sanoop Ramachandran
Additional Credits: Ajay Menon, Manish Rodrigues , Pradeep
Published: October 2009

Via: adsoftheworld

Let's start with the positives. First, nice photography. Second, looking at the client's website, which is a disaster on it's own, i'd say this set of ads can only do well for Al Nahda Resort & Spa.

Now to the negatives. Weak concept. Horrid photoshoping. I mean that Reserved sign looks way too clean and the problem is it looks like it's photoshoped on. Not cool. Also the bicycle picture, is too yellow and let's not even get into the copywriting...

Tamer Hosny's Pepsi Commercial 2009

2009-10-21T13:08:00.002+02:00

In recent lights of Tamer Hosny's newfound intense popularity among the Middle East, the increasing number of his portraits on posters, billboards and store windows, and his recent celebrity advertising deal with Pepsi...Here is Tamer Hosny's current Pepsi Television Ad.

Yes...She did 'double' click the Pepsi can

Now I'm not sure why this happened...but it teaches you one thing...amazing the pitches that can fly!

Advertising Agency: Impact BBDO

Country: Egypt

Quaker Oats

2009-10-21T09:54:00.007+02:00

Agency: DDB Dubai

Creative Director: Adham Obeid

Copywriter: Karim Hassan

Art Director: Joy Younes

Account Director: Kartick Krishnamurthy

Production House: Blink Studios

Harvey's Horrors

2009-10-18T20:48:00.004+02:00

To promote the Autumn/Winter 2009 collection at Harvey Nichols. The campaign is inspired by the season’s trends which are iconic, edgy and really expresses character. We wanted the work to reflect that. We created life-sized Voodoo dolls and clothed them in show-stoppers from the season. Rewarding the Harvey Nichols’ shoppers with the thought that they will be envied to a ridiculous extent.

Advertising Agency: Y&R, Dubai
Country: United Arab Emirates
Executive Creative Director : Shahir Zag
Creative Director: Komal Bedi Sohal
Art Director: Komal Bedi Sohal
Copywriter: Shahir Zag
Photographer: James Day
Retouching: Core Digital, London
Account planner: Nadine Ghossoub
Published: September 2009

Via: adsoftheworld

* Sigh.... The season's trends. Mashi....
By that they must mean Alice in Lalaland sa7?
Oh and they used 'edgy' in their description... Yes, someone is trying to sell you something...
This is not working for me. I hate the glows and I can't seem to appreciate the clothes at all. Not what we're used to seeing from Y&R Dubai.

Leo Burnett Beirut Basha

2009-10-14T00:27:00.006+02:00

Leo Burnett Beirut has won 'Agency of the Year' at the recent Golden Drum awards held in Slovenia last week making them the first Middle Eastern agency to win such a title at an international awards show.

Although not exactly Cannes, the Golden Drum is an Eastern European competition that's been running for 16 years and this year the show managed to attract 2474 entries from 391 agencies in 41 countries.

At the forefront of Leo's wins is the Khede Kasra campaign picking up Grand Prix in outdoor and media, along with a Gold in PR. The campaign has already won Gold at the Lynx, a PR award at Cannes, and a Silver in the Loerie Awards in South Africa.

Their Stop the Suffering campaign for Pert Plus also picked up a Gold Watch in the Integrated category and a Silver in TV, while the agency's campaign for animal charity BETA won Gold in the print category.

It's great to see anyone from the region taking part and representing, and to win 'Agency of the Year' as well. A big congratulations Leo Burnett Beirut *insert applause here...

Leo Burnett Beirut..... BASHA!!

The Battle of Ramadan - Vodafone

2009-09-14T22:12:00.006+02:00

Agency: JWT

Country: Egypt

Can I have a minute? Sure, that's 5 piasters....

Nice everyday insight. In Egypt we use the term "momkin di2i2a" (just a minute) a lot. Off course in Egypt that minute usually ends up being 5, 6 or 10 minutes. We're always running late for some reason. Anyway, the ad above is part of a series, and to be fair, it's probably the weakest out of all of them.

So I saw the ads, liked them, decided to act on them. So I called the number:

Yes a minute is for 5 pt., but only after the first 3 minutes and once you sign up to this service, most of your other offer-related services will be disabled. Also, you can only benefit from this if u are on the Primo, or on the........... (HANG UP, FU*K IT).

The Battle of Ramadan - Etisalat

2009-09-08T01:12:00.005+02:00

Agency: FP7

Country: Egypt

MEH!

The insights in the copy are true. I know I have an Etisalat chip in my draw somewhere that I will use one day just in case that offer is too good. There is a reasonable call for action and the spot shows that Etisalat knows its shit.

There's only one problem: It is shit!

Nothing imaginative. No real idea. The shots are so and so. I mean that dude at the end throwing the chips at Egypt... Urghhh...

Also the rhyming makes me want to try and come up with rude words to rhyme with it.

The Battle of Ramadan - Mobinil

2009-09-08T00:41:00.005+02:00

Agency: Leo Burnett

Country: Egypt

Mobinil - There's no use bitching during Ramadan, just be happy and get on with your life. Although a little similar in idea to FP7's Coca Cola Supporters, these spots are positive, colorful and cheerful. One problem only - too many slots on TV.

Pepsi Footvolley Website

2009-09-06T03:07:00.007+02:00

This summer Pepsi was all over the north coast. Bringing to the beaches of Egypt a new concept - Footvolley is basically volleyball with a football. No arms allowed. Created by the Brazilians and gaining huge popularity abroad, Pepsi bombarded Sa7il with banners, ads, events and more. At Marcom Interactive, we created the Pepsi Footvolley website. Check it out and tell me what you think.

Agency: Marcom Interactive / Sarmady

Country: Egypt

Project Manager: Ashraf Maklad

Creative Director: Karim A. Yusuf

Flash Developer: Ayman S. Bakr

Graphic Designer: Ayman S. Anwar

Developers: Ahmad Abbas, Samia Gamal

Marketing Manager: Randa Tawfik

Ear-itation by Cairo Centric

2009-08-26T01:05:00.008+02:00

For the love of god:

Someone shoot those yapping chickens that Tarek Nour has let loose on the radio.

For those of you who haven't heard it, anything I write hereafter will never compete with actually listening to this abomination.

The spot starts off with what seems like 2 chickens having a highly intellectual conversation (please spot the sarcasm) and how Cairo Centric's chickens are envied because they have their own (fucking irritating) song that goes something like this:

11765 (or some number) yakhti yakhti kaak

(repeat twice a spot and about 1472 times a day)

I think this is a definate contender for most annoying radio spot ever created in Egypt and perhaps in the history of humankind, along with that Shakira one a few months ago as well.

100 movies spoilers in one take

2009-08-23T03:58:00.002+02:00

This has nothing to do with anything. I just found it on youtube and had to share it. Geniuuuusss.

Mobinil - Egyptian Gestures

2009-08-23T02:49:00.003+02:00

Agency: Leo Burnett Egypt

What a beautiful spot. Expressive, creative and insightful. BRAVO.

Need I Say More?

2009-08-21T22:24:00.002+02:00

حمام محشي = Overstuffed Bath

2009-08-20T15:06:00.006+03:00

I was in sa7il (north coast) last weekend when I found this little gem of a menu. Take a closer look and tell me what you think:

كيلو ريش بتلو = Kilogram of feathers Wiggly

سلطات = authorities

(كيلو مشكل (كباب + كفتة = Kilo problem (section + him)

حمام محشي = overstuffed bath

....

and off course the shop is ready for waves of tourists, companies and parties. Classic!

Cairo Centric Stolen Promos

2009-08-18T01:42:00.005+03:00

Tarek Nour, Egyptian Daddy of Advertising, the man whose voice has sold to millions of Egyptians in the last 20 years has recently launched a whole set of promos for his new satellite channel called Cairo Centric (القاهرة والناس) set to launch in Ramadan.

There is one problem though. Take a look for yourself:

Original

Cairo Centric - Elevator Promo

Original

Cairo Centric - Car Promo

Original

Cairo Centric - Library Promo

And that's not all. There are over 20 of these, most of which have been adapted almost as is. A big debate is going on in Egypt about this blatant stealing of ideas. A facebook group (Cairo Centric - الإعلانات مسروقة القاهرة و الناس - STOLEN AD'S !!) has started and within a few days has managed to attract over 2500 members.

The newspaper El Dostoor has written an article about it as well. See article here.

Now what can I say. I have a few friends who actually work in the creative departments of Tarek Nour. What did they have to say: Well firstly they all denied working on the creative for these promos although a few did act in them. They actually told me Tarek Nour himself gave them the link and told them I want this Egyptianized. Period!! And why didn't u guys say anything? We can't say anything. It's his channel, and he's like a god over there. Hmmmm. Ok... So what did Tarek Nour have to say now that everyone's talking about what a thief he is: The age old classic: Any kind of publicity is good. Yes because in Egypt Tarek Nour needs publicity right? His voice has been instilled in our minds all throughout our growth. Until today it's heard on the radio, tv, his logo is after every ad, on the billboards and now he has a tv channel. And apparently he's looking for publicity.

Bullshit. Tarek Nour has been ripping off ads for years. These promos have no creative vitality in them at all, the art direction is atrocious, and they all have no actual message whatsoever. With the opening of his own tv channel, I thought this was a chance for the creatives to really shine at TN and show us what they can do. I know there is talent at Tarek Nour however I feel let down, and I feel that all these talented people are misguided.

What do u guys think?