Imagemaking in Cairo

This documentary-type ad can be seen by non-Arabic speaking readers in an English version here. It weaves many seemingly innocuous circumstances together and gives each of them an increased social significance. The World Cup qualifiers, Coca-Cola, being a spectator of the match, and the superstitious aspect to the whole affair all became one grand expression of contemporary Egyptian culture. What makes the ad interesting is that it uses contemporary, globalised culture as a complement to distinctly Egyptian characteristics - softdrinks and international football become localised.

The docu-ad (a word I'm going to lobby Oxford to include in the next dictionary) was the product of Cairo-based boutique advertising agency Elephant, for which I could not find a website. The agency is apparently a tw0-man operation, half of which is Ali Ali - in my opinion, a brilliant guy, even if it's only because I agree with him. He and his partner, Maged Massar, are also responsible for a series of television ads, again for the Egyptian national football team, that won the first place Gold at the Dubai Lynx Awards this past March. The ads again involve Coca-Cola and promote that product as much they promote the personal brand of the players. Watch them, they're quite ironic and funny.

I like the way the stories don't conspicuously revolve around Coke, but again focus on the love for football and on giving recognition to the players. Furthermore, whether or not intentionally, the advertisements' narratives hint at the steady decline of radio as a popular medium in Egypt. There has been a proliferation of private television channels recently, according to the BBC website, for which there is a link above. That is part of the humour of the clips: they suggest that radio can communicate the score and be quite emotional, but the intensity of visuals and sense of personal connection that television provides enhances the experience even further.

If Elephant and its work are any indication, along with other talent represented at the Dubai International Advertising Festival, the region is brimming with gifted communication artists. Ali Ali has already won some international awards in Europe as well, so his career seems to be going well and I'm sure we'll see the same from his peers.