Serviceplan Experience has created a film for Abdul Latif Jameel Motors (Toyota sector), celebrating the return of family gatherings during Ramadan by depicting a party that spills over into the parking.
While most Ramadan traditions transcend generations, the last two years of pandemic-induced lockdowns did disrupt large family gatherings during the Holy Month. This Ramadan, people are feeling fortunate to be back together, and Abdul Latif Jameel Motors (Toyota sector) wanted to celebrate this time of togetherness.
Seeing families together for a big iftar is a common sight in the Middle East. This moment has been recreated by brands in emotional Ramadan ads year after year, but Serviceplan Experience wanted to capture the feeling of togetherness from a different perspective. The funny spot was directed by Omar El Zoheiry (Big Kahuna Films).
Serviceplan Experience’s creative concept behind the Abdul Latif Jameel Motors (Toyota sector) spot for Ramadan, was that a big family gathering inside means a lot of cars outside, usually parked chaotically. A familiar sight in the neighbourhoods of the Kingdom of Saudia Arabia (KSA) and across the region. If you’re the first one to arrive, you’re likely to find your car overparked by other family members.
This is where the narrative of the spot begins: the first family member leaving iftar finds their car stuck in a gridlock of their entire family’s cars. What follows is a wholesome comedy of events, as everyone moves their cars around to help. An imperfect yet genuine moment of togetherness that captures all the Ramadan feels (and all of Toyota sector’s cars.)
Munir Khoja, Managing Director, Marketing Communication, Abdul Latif Jameel Motors (an authorized distributor of Toyota) explains: “Ramadan is a busy time for marketers. It’s important to stay authentic but easy to fall into a sea of sameness. We wanted to do something entertaining and relevant, without ignoring our products. And we believe we’ve achieved that. We hope people enjoy watching it as much as we enjoyed making it.”
Saleh El Ghatit, Creative Director as Serviceplan Experience adds: “I wanted to capture the true dynamics of a Saudi family in Ramadan, being half Saudi myself I felt the true dynamics aren’t represented as well as they could be. We tend to see cookie cutter families in a lot of these Ramadan ads, and that was the first thing we needed to avoid. The truth is Ramadan can be funny, the moments we share are ones of joy, happiness and a little bit of banter. The challenge for us was making it feel like a Ramadan ad while keeping it insightful as to why the ad coming from a car brand.”
Credits:
Agency: Serviceplan Experience
Client: Abdul Latif Jameel Motors (Toyota sector)
Worldwide ECD: Jason Romeyko
Managing Partner: Rami Hmadeh
Client servicing: Ramy Abdelrehim, Ayman Fouda, Kathleen Angeles
Creative director: Saleh ElGhatit
Associate creative director: Oussama Founi, Sameer Suri
Arabic copywriter: Rana Ahmed
Client servicing: Ramy Abdelrehim, Ayman Fouda, Kathleen Angeles
Agency Producer: Yanny Sanchez
International communications officer: Lee Sharrock
Production Credits:
Production House: Big Kahuna Films
Executive Producer: Chady El Khal
Director: Omar El Zoheiry
DOP: Laurent Rodriguez
Post-Production Producer: Razan Hamdan
Music Composer: Marc Codsi
Sound Designer: Rayan Sfeir
Post Production: Lzrd VFX
VFX: Invisible Post
