To launch its new visual identity and packaging, dessert mix brand Dreem released a playful, self-aware campaign starring famous Egyptian actress Nelly Karim, created in collaboration with creative agency Kairo.
The film adopts a meta approach, presenting an ad within an ad that follows a fictionalised version of Dreem’s marketing team planning the shoot and then shooting the ad itself. The team debates whether bringing in Nelly Kareem risks overshadowing the actual product and the rebranding – which becomes the main theme of the ad.
The making of the ad revolves around the tension of making the new branding and packaging of Dream bigger than Nelly Karim – which leads to the usage of phrases that play on the rhyme between “Nelly Karim” and “Dreem” reinforcing memorability.
“When you give a brand a fresh identity and new packaging, you naturally want it to appear in every second of the ad. But there is always that classic tension of how to satisfy that visibility without being boring,” said the Kairo team.
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Throughout the film, the idea of making the Dreem packaging bigger receives a lot of opposition from both the fictional ad director and Nelly Karim herself. These clashes are solved by the product – molten cakes and desserts acting as humourous peacemakers to get people on board with the idea.
“We leaned into this tension. The whole idea became a playful back and forth between the pack and the beloved celebrity Nelly Karim. The pack shows up a lot, but that’s exactly what makes it entertaining. In the end the message was simple: Dreem changed, and we want you to notice, but we’re going to make you smile while doing so.”
The brand’s brief was to create a campaign that announced Dreem’s rebrand. The refreshed identity was created in line with the brand’s goal of appealing to the younger generations in Egypt and strengthening trust among its existing user base.
As the market leader in its category, the aim of the campaign wasn’t to spread awareness of the brand itself but to reach a wider target audience. While Dreem’s core users remain women aged 30 and above, the campaign was designed to resonate with younger audiences through more modern brand storytelling featuring humour, relatability and self-aware brand behaviour.
The main campaign film was rolled out across multiple mediums, such as TV and digital channels, including social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.
CREDITS
Agency: KAIRO
Chief Creative Officer: Hesham Ellabban
Head of Strategy: Sameeh Selim
General Manager: Mahmoud Dogheim
Associate Creative Director: Hussien Tawfik
Account Planner & Manager: Omar Akl
Senior Graphic Designer: Karaz Sharaf
Client: Dreem Mashreq
Head of Marketing: Motaz Ismail
Senior Marketing Director: Noha ElKeiy
Marketing Manager: Sherine Sabry
Marketing Consultant: Amr Eltobgi
Production House: A Kairo Production with Snapper Productions
Director: Shank
Executive Producer: Rami ElShakry
Producer: Aly Rady
DOP: Kamal Samy
Art Director: Eslam Ibrahim
Stylist: Ingie Elmorr
Food Stylist: Sarah Ibrahim
Post Production: Barber Shop & Snapper Productions
VO: Amr Rabee
