With 2023 dawning upon us all, it’s time to reflect on the year passed and get inspired by some of the exquisite work that has been coming from the region. By now, you must have all glanced at Communicate’s rankings but to go a step further, we sat down with the creative directors behind our Grand Prix, Gold, Silver, and Bronze campaigns to dive into their experience and get some real learnings.

GRAND PRIX – The Elections Edition for An-Nahar Newspaper, Impact BBDO Dubai

   Ali Rez

   Chief Creative Officer,

   Impact BBDO MENAP 

What was the best part about working on this campaign?

Working on any campaign for An-Nahar brings with it a special kind of thrill: you know you are doing something that is going to make a tremendous impact on society. They are the kind of brand partner that pushes you to do the most daring, the most extraordinary, the craziest ideas, and “The Elections Edition” was one of those big thoughts. We had one jury president from a show tell us “It’s the kind of idea that you would expect The New York Times to do, but they would never do it.” An-Nahar would, and they did. That was the best part about this campaign: working with a partner that did the seemingly impossible.

And the worst part?

Trying to come up with something new and bigger, now that the bar has been set so high.

Who would you like to dedicate this award to?

So many people, especially the Editor-in-Chief of the paper, Nayla Tueni. What an incredibly brave and inspiring person. And then, of course, everybody on the team, in both Dubai and Beirut. The kind of dedication, devotion, and energy we saw in this purposeful project was unmatched.

GOLD – Liquid Billboard for Adidas, Havas Middle East

   Anshuman Bhattacharya

   Creative Director,

   Havas Middle East

What was the best part about working on this campaign?

It was incredible to see an idea as outlandish as making the world’s first billboard that women can actually swim in, becoming a tangible reality. This was a true representation of Adidas’s philosophy – impossible is nothing. The best part, however, was seeing how this one billboard actually started new conversations about inclusivity in swimming around the world. In the months after the activation, there were new countries taking the conversation forward every day, eventually covering six continents.

And the worst?

There wasn’t a worst moment; a lot of challenging ones, though. One of the biggest was creating the billboard while having to follow all the safety and specification guidelines of building a swimming pool as per the Dubai Municipality. After all, it was a fully functional pool, making it a billboard that needed a lifeguard.

Who would you like to dedicate this award to?

This award goes to the entire Havas Middle East team that worked tirelessly through every challenge and pitfall to bring this idea to life, and to the bravery of team Adidas, who saw the power of the Liquid Billboard from the moment it was presented on a PPT slide and supported in every way possible to make it a reality.

SILVER – Despair No More for TENA, Impact BBDO

  Marie Claire Maalouf 

  Executive Creative Director,

  Impact BBDO

What was the best part about working on this campaign?
The collaboration to bring a single vision to life. Since day one, the whole team of clients (global and local), our two BBDO offices (AMV and Impact), and our media and PR partners, all had one common goal: Erase from the Arabic language the derogatory expression ‘age of despair’ – which is the Arabic translation of ‘menopause’ – and replace it with something more positive that can better reflect this stage of a woman’s life. Usually, when multiple parties are involved in one project, the outcome can easily end up looking like a patchwork of many disconnected thoughts. With “Despair No More,” we avoided the pattern of multiple cooks ruining a recipe, and instead followed the “Team of Teams” where clear roles and responsibilities for every one added value to the whole. Our efforts were designed to make a big impact on society, and the results mirror a movement that took hold.

And the worst part?

A lot of the members that worked on this campaign are no longer part of the companies that brought it to life. This is unfortunately the nature of our industry. People move… quite a lot. But what’s really precious is that today still, we are closely connected on buzzing WhatsApp groups, actively tracking the updates surrounding this cause. Because what got us together in the first place and the positive impact we created together goes beyond office borders.

Who would you like to dedicate this award to?

I would love to dedicate this award to the most daring clients I know: Oscar Ayala, Stamatios Mantzaris, Yosra El Embaby; to all the amazing teams at Impact and AMV BBDO; to all the partners: Zenith Media, Anghami Music, Porter Novelli PR, Big Kahuna Productions; and most importantly, to all the brave and remarkable women who contributed to the success of this campaign. The women who shared their stories with us; the women who had an active role and were featured in the campaign; the influential women who raised their voice on social media, at events, during Expo 2020… for what they believed that stage of their life represents to them, despite all societal labels.

BRONZE – Warm Winter Livestream, UAE Government Media Office 

  Khaled AlShehhi 

  Executive Director of Marketing, and Communication,

  UAE Government Media Office

What was the best part about working on this campaign?

The best part of this campaign is the opportunity to aim higher. Our “World’s Coolest Winter” is, at the heart, a tourism campaign, featuring the UAE’s appeal at what is the best time of the year in terms of weather. But we shouldn’t be blinded by the sun and forget that winter can be cruel, particularly for the displaced and the destitute. It certainly is highly unusual to pair a tourism campaign with a humanitarian appeal but it worked. We collaborated with a genuine and authentic influencer who shared our purpose and mission. Hassan Suleiman “AboFlah,” a gaming influencer, content creator, and YouTube star with 22.7 million followers, lived in a glass box until $10 million in aid for refugees in the region were raised. What got to me is that the majority of donors were children. The amount of small donations of a few dirhams on the live donation dashboard shows how engaged they were, and will possibly keep on being. This campaign was a massive lesson in empathy and generosity, inspiring children to donate and follow the impact. I hope they will remember this feeling forever.

And the worst part?

How can there be a worst part to a campaign designed to alleviate poverty and suffering? Of course, there are technical difficulties you may encounter when you put something of this scale together. The operation was recognized by Guinness World Records, twice in fact, for the longest live stream (video) and the most viewers for a charity donation live stream on YouTube. We had close to 700,000 viewers. When you set a high target, like $10 million, there’s always the stress you will struggle or fall short. But when your live dashboard breaks under the weight of online donations, you know these worries mean good things. You’re on your way to meeting your goals: first, the donation target, second the work on the ground to bring smiles back to millions of faces.

Who would you like to dedicate this award to?

This award was made possible by millions of people, starting with the children who gave what they could because they were moved to join in this movement; all the donors who listened to their hearts and made a difference to the less for- fortunate than them; and the army of colleagues and partners who collaborated tirelessly to make it all work, day in day out, 24/7, until the mission was complete; but also all the volunteers who distributed the aid and support, often in tough conditions, to those who needed it the most. This is humanity at work and it’s profoundly moving

This article was published in Communicate's latest print issue – Q4 2022.