J. Walter Thompson MENA is geared up to compete with the region’s best at the upcoming Dubai Lynx International Festival of Creativity. Some of the work from the agency that is in the ring includes breaking boundaries and challenging market norms.
A closer look at the top three contenders from the agency:
Al Arabiya – The ‘Biggest Gallery’ Outside
J. Walter Thompson Riyadh’s campaign for Al Arabiya, in Saudi Arabia, ‘Biggest Gallery’ was an initiative that found Saudis waking up to the country’s first ever public art show. On December 22, 2014 the indigenous out-of-home brand, distinguished itself from all its foreign-owned competitors, with an outdoor exhibition of paintings made by local, unknown artists, displayed across Al Arabiya’s 5,000 outdoor sites. In so doing, Al Arabiya became much more to the nation than just an outdoor company – it became the heart of a new cultural space in the Kingdom.
Nokia – ‘Anna, I’m Coming Home’
J. Walter Thompson Dubai’s client, Nokia, wanted to help its most loyal customers in the UAE Filipino community by helping them reconnect to loved ones they left back home. Through a activation live on the ground and Facebook, the community was invited to tell its stories of missing home and brought to life authentically through TEKS cards, which were then broadcast through social media. The people with the most liked stories were then flown home to be reunited with their loved ones, and their homecoming story was broadcast on YouTube & TV for over 8 million viewers.
BETA – ‘Expat Pet Programme’
The Expat Pet Programme for BETA (Beirut for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) from J. Walter Thompson Beirut was an initiative that launched before Christmas 2014 and aimed to re-engaged Lebanese people with preventing animal cruelty and adopting rescued pets currently filling BETA’s animal centre to overflowing. The programme was spread around the world through blogs, talk shows and social media, redirecting people to a website, xpatpets.com. Visitors got to know the various rescued dogs, and then provide an opportunity for it to either stay in Lebanon by adopting it locally, or go abroad by adopting it from another country.
