Cannes Contenders: UAE

Puck Selfless Shelves

In today’s ad world, it's tough to gauge whether all the cause-related efforts have had a tangible impact on the ground. Like, did those "save the turtles" straws really save any turtles, or did they just end up in the ocean as well? 

That’s why I picked Puck’s Selfless Shelves initiative from our agency because it restores my faith in meaningful campaigns. 

They took their trusty blue jars and turned them into containers for Lebanese women to sell their homemade goodies. Talk about turning lemons into lemonade, or in this case, turning cultural behaviour into purposeful jars. 

It's tough to gauge whether all the cause-related efforts have had a tangible impact on the ground.

This simple act empowered women to keep hustling in a scalable and sustainable manner, even during one of the worst economic crises. Plus, buying one of those jars made people feel like they were a part of something bigger and like superheroes without spandex. 

Overall, this campaign is quite special for its intent and impact as well as its innovative approach to sustainability, social issues, and brand alignment. 

Riyadh Season Rumble

Historical title fights? Yawn. But Rumble isn't your grandpa's boxing promo. 

The craftsmanship is so meticulous, it's like each frame was handcrafted by Michelangelo himself. And the direction? Let's just say Spielberg's taking notes. 

The film artfully captures the showmanship in Tyson and the determination in Francis, building anticipation for the epic showdown. The Betty Chung version of Bang Bang with sound design that was recorded from a gym was also a genius touch. 

A knockout masterpiece that deserves a win for its compelling storytelling.

But beyond the flashy visuals and killer tunes, Rumble taps into something deeper: the human drama of two fighters chasing greatness and it resonates with anyone who's ever had a dream. 

A knockout masterpiece that deserves a win for its compelling storytelling.

Fixing the bAIs

A bunch of savvy folks decided to fight fire with fire, or rather, bias with bias-correcting AI. They whipped up a colossal library of diverse images featuring women rocking every profession and sneakily slipped these images into AI's diet, replacing its old-fashioned views with a fresh perspective. 

Uncomplicated, yet clever. 

Uncomplicated, yet clever. 

Not only did Fixing the bAIs help pave the way for ground-breaking regulations in the EU, but it also got the attention of AI bigwigs and sparked global conversations faster than you can say "algorithmic equality." 

Now if only we could replicate this bias-correction amongst humans as well.

Coca-Cola I See Coke

Coca-Cola Middle East's I See Coke campaign seamlessly blends pop culture, mealtime moments, and the magic of Alexa. 

By leveraging Alexa's witty responses and partnering with WPP’s Open X unit, they created something quite unique and engaging, which pushes the boundaries of creative commerce solutions. 

It is a cool flex on offer-based activations.

It is a cool flex on offer-based activations that helped people see “red” more, which in this case was a good thing. 

Smart, witty, simple, and fun.

An-Nahar #OurAiPresident

Sure, the notion of an AI president is akin to expecting pigs to fly, considering AI's foresight is as hazy as a politician's promises. But kudos to #OurAiPresident for making us ponder the very essence of leadership by demonstrating how AI is relatively untainted by the biases and corruption rampant in Lebanese politics. 

AI's foresight is as hazy as a politician's promises.

An Nahar's AI president is a concept that raises numerous ethical, philosophical, and practical questions. And that's the beauty of this idea - it starts conversations. 

I even asked Chad (yes, I am on first name basis with ChatGPT) if the AI president deserves to be awarded, and he said it best - "If An Nahar's AI president has demonstrated exceptional qualities and made a positive difference in people's lives while upholding ethical principles, it could indeed be a worthy contender for recognition."