1) Central Trade & Auto – ‘Corolla 1966’
Winner of a gold award in print craft at the Dubai Lynx, this ad for Central Trade & Auto in Amman was made to drive sales for the launch of the all-new Corolla 2014. Applauded for its art direction, the work was nostalgic and authentic.
Agency: J. Walter Thompson Jordan
Creatives: Basel Jumaa, Mohammad Ismail, Christel Amiel, Sabal Fakhoury
2) Alghanim Motors Honda – ‘Confusing’
Kuwait picked up its first ever gold Lion at Cannes thanks to Impact & Echo’s ‘Confusing’ campaign for Alghanim Motors Honda. The work also won two silvers in outdoor and print, proving that quirky ads of people giving directions with absurdly twisting arms can work magic.
Agency: Impact & Echo BBDO
Creatives: Cesar Jachan, Lokesh Achaiah, Jagjit Singh Sekhon
3) Nissan Middle East – ‘The healing touch’
“A very simple proposition, art directed with true craftsmanship and copy that resists the urge to over complicate,” wrote Chris Bell, chief executive officer and managing partner of Face to Face, in Private View. “For me this is what advertising should be, great looking work that does a job. Truly world class.” A gold winner at the Dubai Lynx in print, TBWA\Raad’s campaign used the universal icon of healing to illustrate ‘self healing paint’ technology.
Agency: TBWA\Raad
Creatives: Rohan Young, Sandeep Fernandes, Vishal Munyal, Sumanth Wilkins, Sayed Nazim
4) SmartLife Foundation – ‘Project Akshar’
Winner of the only integrated gold at the Dubai Lynx (see page 27), Project Akshar also picked up a silver in print craft for this beautiful marriage of illustration and simplicity.
Agency: FP7/DXB
Creatives: Paul Banham, Josephine Younes, Nayaab Rais
5) du – ‘du Tuesday’
A continuation of the work being done by Leo Burnett Dubai for du Tuesday, which offers du mobile customers two movie tickets for the price of one, this poster was wonderfully art directed and offered the suggestion that ‘Some films are too artsy to watch alone’.
Agency: Leo Burnett Dubai
Creatives: André Nassar, Rondon Fernandes, Bruno Bomediano, Saad Yusuf
6) Mashrou’ Leila – ‘Ibn El Leil’
Not strictly advertising, this was one of a handful of posters for Lebanese indie band Mashrou’ Leila’s fourth album, Ibn El Leil (Son of the Night). Created by Leo Burnett Beirut, the agency and the band created a unifying experience that brought together people who find freedom at night. The end result was an album and concept that depicted the deity of the night – a worn out Greco- Roman classical figure with the head of a hyena. Accompanying the album are posters that function as a ‘cult kit’. One is a full body view of the deity, on the back of which were written lyrics in a structure inspired by esoteric Arabic scriptures. The lyrics are written the way lead singer Hamed Sinno sings them. The more he drags on a word, the longer that word is written.
Agency: Leo Burnett Beirut
Creatives: Areej Mahmoud, Davina Atallah, Nadia Deghayli, Phillip Ghabayen, Lama Bawadi
7) Volkswagen Middle East – ‘Girls just wanna have fun’
A gold winner in outdoor at the Dubai Lynx, this campaign for Volkswagen by Memac Ogilvy Dubai used a VW Beetle between quotation marks as a replacement for certain words.
Agency: Memac Ogilvy Dubai
Creatives: Ramzi Moutran, Gary Rolf, James Bisset
8) De’longhi Group, Kenwood – ‘Tomato’
Crisp and clean, this work by J. Walter Thompson Dubai walked away with a silver in outdoor at the Dubai Lynx.
Agency: J. Walter Thompson Dubai
Creatives: Anas Sarraj, Michael Fillon, Shine Km, Seyoan Vela
9) Mercedes-Benz – ‘Mercedes Safe Side’
With every Mercedes-Benz now fitted with ‘active lane assist’, this campaign used fun metaphors to demonstrate that a Mercedes-Benz will not change lanes and move into danger.
Agency: Impact BBDO Dubai
10) Cadbury – ‘Utterly Bubbly’
“I like this ‘post-Goa vacation’ psychedelic approach to execution,” wrote Ashraf Mansour, partner and strategic director at Interesting Times, in Private View. He wasn’t wrong. This work by Saatchi & Saatchi Dubai showed how the little thoughts you have in your head every day can free the joy and emotions within us all.
Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi Dubai
Creatives: Richard Copping, Simon Raffaghello, Sneha Sathe
