Cannes Lions: the awarded purpose-driven campaigns made in the Middle East

Among the16 Lions awards won this year at Cannes Festival, the majority were cause-related marketing campaigns, which deserve to be highlighted again.

Y&R Dubai

‘One Book for Peace’ gathers teachings from the holy books of the Bible and the Quran, comparatively showing how similar messages from each are. By showing resemblance between the two, the purpose of the book is to bring to life inter-religious dialogue and discussion among ordinary people. The book represents 10 verses from the Bible and 10 verses of the Quran, on ten universal topics, close to all people in the world. Gold Lion - Design / Books Silver Lion - Promo & Activation / Public Sector Bronze Lion - Print & Publishing / Art Direction Bronze Lion - PR / Public Affairs & Lobbying Bronze Lion - Radio / Branded Content & Programming

Leo Burnett Beirut

5 lions (3 Silver + 2 Bronze) all for the #UNDRESS522 campaign for Abaad making it the most awarded MENA campaign at Cannes Lions 2017. (See page 30) DDB Dubai

In Egypt, women make up only 23% of the workforce. To highlight this injustice, DDB Dubai created a print campaign for UN Women Egypt, titled “Finding Her”. In three ads, the readers were challenged to find the woman in technology, politics, and science, three up-and-coming industries in Egypt.

The main message behind the campaign is to shed light on the importance of equal opportunities for Egyptian women to participate in the labor force and contribute to the development of the Egyptian society. Bronze Lion - Design / Posters

Impact BBDO Dubai

Most awarded MENA agency this year at Cannes with 6 Lions; 2 Lions (1 Silver and 1Bronze) went for Sydlexia’s campaign ‘Making Sense of Dyslexia’.

Those who suffer from Dyslexia can struggle to read the simplest of words. Sydlexia wanted to generate awareness about a disorder that is little known.

Dyslexics people find it easier to grasp words when taught using methods driven by visuals, tactile and spatial stimulation. To demonstrate the challenges dyslexia imposes, posters were designed using broken words. People needed to fold the posters to make sense of it. Silver Lion - Design / Posters Bronze Lion Campaign - Health & Wellness / Brand-led Education & Awareness

Memac Ogilvy Dubai

4 lions in total at Cannes, 3 of them including a coveted Innovations Lion went for CIP ‘Potatoes on Mars’.

Famine affects 780 million people globally and climate change is making food security and malnutrition worse. Yet potatoes have the ability to solve micronutrient deficiencies and save lives. The International Potato Center (CIP) in Peru wanted to prove that potatoes are a super crop that hold the key to reversing world hunger and saving millions of lives thanks to their high yields, nutritional value and ability to grow anywhere. So they briefed Memac Ogilvy to prove the potential of potatoes. The agency came up with an idea that was out of this world – to grow them on Mars. They approached NASA and UTEC scientists who then designed and built an innovative Cubesat, a hermetically sealed device with a range of monitoring sensors that replicate conditions on Mars. And the “super potato” was planted and sealed inside it, in the most inhospitable Mars like conditions. People around the world were able to watch the live feed from cameras inside the Cubesat and waited to see if the new variety would grow.

The mission made history. A new organic variety of potato, called “Unique,” was developed that now leads the way in climate-resistant crops. This has proved that potatoes can grow in places on Earth that nobody thought possible, which will help save millions of lives here on Earth. Now, the new potato is being deployed in climate crisis areas in Bangladesh. Gold Lion - Health & Wellness / Pro-bono Led Education & Awareness Silver Lion - Innovation / Applied Innovation Silver Lion - PR / Use of Technology

The Classic Partnership dubai

3 Lions (1 Silver + 2 Bronze) for Medcare Hospitals’s ‘Footnote for the Breast’ campaign.

To raise awareness about the imperative of breast cancer early detection, pebbles stamped with a simple message were placed in the shoes of women who went to mosques or prayer halls. When they returned and put on their shoes, the “lump” could be felt immediately and the message seen. The instant reaction should ideally be the same when a lump is discovered on the breast. Medcare’s Toll Free number was also stamped on the pebble. The Call Centre Operators were briefed to schedule a free-of-cost consultation appointment for those who enquired.

By discreetly communicating to local and Arab women on a subject that is taboo in their culture through the use of a unique yet cost effective method in a very unexpected venue, the impact and reach to the targeted audience was significant. Silver Lion - Promo & Activation / Use of Ambient Media: Small Scale Bronze Lion - Health & Wellness / Brand-led Education & Awareness Bronze Lion - Direct / Use of Ambient Media: Small Scale

Grey dubai One Bronze Lion for Tathqeef’s ‘Veils of Pride’ (Fatima | Mouza | Shaikha).

Tathqeef, a training and continuing education medical center commissioned Grey UAE to create a campaign that focuses on the veil. To shed light on the matter and perhaps even express a stance, eight women in senior managerial positions were elected to speak their minds by expressing what the veil they wear means to them.

Aside from posting their responses in videos, Artist Maher Abu Al Hassan used the definitions these women gave and transformed them into one-of-a-kind series of posters written in Arabic calligraphy that mimic the shape of their veil.

The campaign, veilsofpride.com, also featured an interactive veil poster generator, which transforms any given words written by visitors to the site, into calligraphy. Yet what is most striking is the principal message behind the campaign itself. The thoughts and ideas expressed by all eight women constitutes a power statement that calls for all people to look past the veil by focusing on achievement rather than form.