Emirates Environmental Group & on Pro Bono work

I picked up a copy of 'Signature' - the Diners Club mag from the post office (a lot of magazines, newsletters, trade journals are discarded here)...I just pick up what interests me, being a bit of an info freak:)

Found some interesting environment conservation ads from the Emirates Environmental Group (EEG).

Back in 1998, when I had arrived in Dubai and was working in the advertising division of a company, we had paid a visit the EEG office in the Crown Plaza building on Shk. Zayed Road. We offered our services to Ms. Habiba Al Marashi , the founder and chairperson of the group. Quite a nice lady doing voluntary work. She told us how she had started and was quite impressed with our portfolio and asked us to drop by often and help out in the projects Those were their still growing days..now I think they are a big organisation.

When applying for a job in the creative department of an ad agency, normally social service ads that you might have created (pro bono work) is not a yardstick by which your talent is measured. Your idea generating capabilities for actual products provide a better clue on whether you'll make a good art director or copywriter. I think I read this in "Squeeze this, Mr. Whipple!". Correct me if I'm wrong!

I won my first ad contest in school by directing a social advertisement "Change the World", enacted to the background score of "Where Eagles Dare"...more about this in a separate post on my personal portfolio blog.

4th Dubai International Film Festival

Creative visual idea - film industry tools forming the Burj Al Arab - Dubai's landmark 7-star luxury icon.



Emirates Today, 30 Oct 2007

Teaser - Sawaeed Employment

Hmmm...

Print Campaign - Barclays Bank

In an earlier post, I had mentioned how advertsing textbooks cite animals as attention catching devices...Barclays Bank follows the text-book route.

Print Campaign - Arwa Bottled Drinking Water

A daily dose of laughter
And lotsa bottles of water
Will make you healthy, wealthy and smarter!

Print Campaign - Monster.com

Job seekers are in a predicament
They shake their heads in bewilderment
Is the answer 'online recruitment'?

Print Campaign - TheOne Home Furnishing

Neo asked the Oracle, Am I TheOne?
Said the Oracle to Neo, Sorry son...
It can only be Thomas Lundgren.


There was much ado about TheOne's challenge thrown to advertising agencies in the UAE to try and win its account (the CEO wanted the agencies to pitch him through a music video). The firebrand founder and CE(motional) Officer - Thomas Lundgren wanted something 'out of this world' and finally I think it was Lowe MENA that won). The ads appear in pairs weekly once:

Print Campaign - HSBC Bank

Loans and stones
May break my bones
But your ads can't hurt me!

Teaser - Nabeel Perfumes

Some interesting print ads - Find the odd ones out;)

Du - We wait for something

A lot of smoke (and fire too) on Smoking!

Smoking is being banned in all public places by Dubai Municipality....more on that here.
And also since May 31 was World No Tobacco Day, there were a flurry of ads in UAE print. A few of them are reproduced below:

The Dubai Municipality & WHO ad:



One that takes on the Marlboro brand of advertising:




Here's one with long copy:




Here's a topsy-turvy one: 






Another one, a clever image play:

Interesting print ads

1) How SMBs become MNCs...isn't that a wrong usage of the apostrophe in the headline or am I missing something...please leave a comment.



2)




3) Schon Properties - At last a property ad that talks to the common man and his accommodation problems


4) Bur Juman Mall

Universal Studios Theme Park in Dubai!

Downtown Jebel Ali - Print Campaign