Listen to the article
Following the summer campaign with its message ‘One Summer Isn’t Enough’, the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) is putting itself on the global map again as an ultimate winter sun destination via a campaign by Serviceplan Middle East.
While winter in the West means grey skies and duller days, Abu Dhabi offers holiday-goers the chance to free their fairer-weather favourites from storage boxes everywhere. Abu Dhabi invites them to shake off the winter blues and do what they rarely imagine doing this time of year – get excited to winter.
Whereas for regional markets, excitement and winter go hand in hand. After long, slow summers, Abu Dhabi’s neighbours can’t wait for winter. By turning ‘winter’ into a verb, the campaign makes it an active season, embodying the spirit the capital wants to embrace.
And so, the campaign, created by Serviceplan Middle East team, kicks off with a series of whimsical films in four stages, produced by Dejavu. Each brings this excitement to life in full force, following the adventures of packed outfits as they actively escape their owners after arrival. With so much anticipation in the air, even these animated clothes ‘Can’t Wait to Winter’ in Abu Dhabi.
The first film stars Bollywood superstar and Experience Abu Dhabi brand ambassador, Ranveer Singh. After arriving in Abu Dhabi, the outfits he’s packed slip away for a head start on all the fun. The film sees Ranveer in thrilling pursuit, tracking his outfits across Abu Dhabi, enjoying every action-packed experience along the way.
The second film follows Chinese celebrity Liu Yifei as the outfits she’s packed break free to guide her through Abu Dhabi – leading her from one immersive experience to the next with effortless style. As Liu Yifei explores the emirate, her outfits become her tour guide, making her winter one to remember.
The third stage sees beloved Kuwaiti comedians, Dawood Hussein and Hassan Al-Ballam, reuniting for a common cause: capturing their packed outfits and ticking off their Abu Dhabi bucket lists along the way. Spanning several episodes, the chase takes them from one Abu Dhabi must-do to the next then to the next.
As for the fourth stage, a non-celebrity global film follows the story of a family whose clothes similarly make a run for it, excited to enjoy the fun themselves. This final rendition of the creative concept sees the clothes breaking free to explore Abu Dhabi, as the family plays a wildly enjoyable game of catch-up.
Even a packed line-up of films such as this showcases just the tip of the excitement iceberg in store for visitors this winter. One thing’s for sure, winter in Abu Dhabi has us on the edge of our seats.
Nouf Mohamed Al-Boushelaibi, Executive Director of Strategic Marketing & Communications at Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi, commented: “In Abu Dhabi, winter is more than a season, it’s an experience. Our ‘Can’t Wait To Winter’ campaign captures this, embracing the wide variety of the emirate's exciting offerings. While our approach personalises the narrative to specific markets, it continues to answer one essential question: ‘What should people pack for?’, meaning ‘What should they expect from a winter in Abu Dhabi?’ Ultimately, the answer is to pack it all. Because there’s so much fun in store, you’ll want to enjoy it all this winter in Abu Dhabi.”
Rawida Saadé, Client Servicing Director at Serviceplan Middle East, notes: “I'm excited about our global winter campaign for Abu Dhabi, created in partnership with the DCT Abu Dhabi team. We've turned "winter" from a season into an action, encapsulating the uncontainable excitement of the city’s winter experience, and showcasing its diverse allure. I particularly love how each narrative is custom-tailored for specific markets; Ranveer Singh captivates India with his energy, Liu Yifei brings her elegance to China, while Khaleeji comedians Hasan Ballam and Dawood Hussein entertain the GCC with humour and nostalgia.”
André Couto, Creative Director at Serviceplan Middle East, adds: “When choosing a holiday destination, our first question is usually about what to pack. In Abu Dhabi's bustling winter season, you can bring it all – swimsuits, jackets, hoodies, and sport jerseys. Our idea was to highlight how every piece fits seamlessly within the city’s diverse attractions, from cultural experiences to thrilling adventures. Not only that, but each piece is just as excited as we are to enjoy Abu Dhabi's winter.”
Manasvi Gosalia, Executive Producer at Dejavu, explains: “This stands as our most technically challenging campaign yet for DCT Abu Dhabi. The creative pushed the boundaries, and in turn we did so as well. We assembled a team of highly specialized experts spanning 3 continents, each bringing to the table a specific set of expertise be it motion artists, choreographers, CGI, VFX and so much more. The finishing touch was to pair each film with a director that infused their style and brought out the clothing’s personalities in a way that complemented the personalities of the protagonists and spoke to the specific market.”
Credits
The Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi:
Nouf Mohamed Al-Boushelaibi - Executive Director of Strategic Marketing & Communications at DCT Abu Dhabi
Ghadeer Khub - Creative & Production Department Director at DCT Abu Dhabi
Nada Assaf - Campaigns Section Head at DCT Abu Dhabi
Mohamed ElShorafa - Campaigns Unit Head at DCT Abu Dhabi
Mira Al – Abdullah - Brand Strategy Unit Head at DCT Abu Dhabi
Serviceplan Middle East:
Natalie Shardan – Managing Director
Akhilesh Bagri – Chief Creative Officer
Rawida Saade – Client Servicing Director
Yehia El Joueidi – Account Director
Mohamad Saboury – Senior Account Executive
Frances Bonifacio – Head of Strategy
Karim Mroueh – Digital & Channel Strategist
Andre Couto – Creative director
Daniel Zacatenco – Associate Creative Director
Zein Sadedin – Sr. ENG copywriter
Nehal Salah -Sr. ARB copywriter
Kunal Gawani – Sr. Art Director
Yasir Ali – Sr. Digital Designer
Deja Vu:
Global film:
Production - Dejavu
Executive Producer - Manasvi Gosalia
Producer - Maarouf Bikdache
Head of Production - Kavya Iyer
Director - Fernando Livschitz
DOP - Fatih Türker
Photographer - Naim Chidiac
Head of Post Production – Rafic Sawaya
Ranveer Singh Film:
Production - Dejavu
Executive Producer - Manasvi Gosalia
Producer - Sampada Harkara
Head of Production - Kavya Iyer
Director - Navzar Eranee
DOP - Marcus Autelli
Photographer - Rohan Shreshta
Head of Post Production – Rafic Sawaya
Liu:
Production – Dejavu
Executive Producer - Manasvi Gosalia
Producer - Maarouf Bikdache
Head of Production - Kavya Iyer
Director - Fernando Livschitz
DOP - Daniel Tudano
Photographer - Yuan Liu
Head of Post Production – Rafic Sawaya
GCC:
Production - Dejavu
Executive Producer - Manasvi Gosalia
Producer - Maarouf Bikdache
Head of Production - Kavya Iyer
Director - Mohamad Kalawi
DOP - Mik Allen
Photographer - Naim Chidiac
Head of Post Production – Rafic Sawaya
