We take a look at three recent Egyptian TV productions from Cairo-based Tarek Nour Communications (TNC) that taps into the local culture, an approach often adopted by the agency that has become their distinctive signature style.
RENT A CAR & WAVE YOUR WORRIES
It’s not every day that advertisers have the opportunity to launch a brand new category. The concept is simple, and stems from a major pain point Egyptian consumers experience on daily basis: the pressure of Cairo’s ever-present traffic frenzy. Anyone’s who’s dared to take the wheel, in one of the world’s most notoriously congested and chaotic cities, knows the pressures they face all too well. Amidst all this mayhem, car rental company Sixt identified an intrinsic need to further resonate with their target. Wit the help of TarekNour Communications' (TNC) 360 campaign, the first to launch the rental category into the scene, they presented a series of four scenarios that conclude with the reveal “Thank God it’s not my car.”
In quirky tone, each spot portrays a string of unfortunate events, which under normal circumstances would be quite catastrophic: from a wife who catches her husband with his mistress in a car, then proceeds to unleash her rage destroying the car, to a man flat out falling on a car crushing the ceiling, to a couple losing control of their car on a ramp. All situations that would certainly cause a discernable amount of stress, unless you’re renting with Sixt and the vehicle isn’t yours to worry about. Through unparalleled availability and insurance, Sixt's message --a convenient services delivery for a hassle-free driving experience- is spot on.
THE HEART WITHIN MYHF
Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation (MYHF) is the first of the medical philanthropy sector in Egypt to adopt a guilt-free format to their advertising strategy, instead of instilling guilt to shame people into donating, Tarek Nour Advertiisng (TNA) chose to highlight emotion and human connection to associate donating to MYHF with positivity and genuine impact.
The campaign follows last years mega-hit “My Heart and the key to it are in your hands,” which saw overwhelmingly favorable reactions from viewers pleased to see successful cases of cured and healthy children on TV - the campaign touched the heart of the Egyptian nation. This year “10 years and we’ll continue with our heart into it” is an ode to every heart beating for someone in this country.
Egyptian society is known to speak from their heart – it is an open book – and MYHF has captured the essence of what it means to care for a human cause. This is the main insight highlighted in this year’s montage-format film, showcasing snippets on how the word “heart” is embedded in Egyptian culture.
The scenes show a mother calling her child worried stating that her heart almost stopped, a grandmother who loves her grandchildren from the bottom of her heart, a women who feels in her heart that something bad is about to happen, and the age old cultural saying “A mother’s heart knows best” is referenced along the way. Other odes to the heart include pop cultural excerpts of music and film genres from Egyptian heritage, such as the iconic song “Albi Dalili” or “My Heart is my compass” by Egyptian actress and mogul Leila Mourad.
A ROBBERY AT NBE GOES WRONG
NBE is the first bank in Egypt to launch electronic or smart banking. This innovative step to the future of
banking posed a great opportunity to tackle the brief with a fresh perspective. TNA chose to highlight this leap forward through humor rather than corporate banking lingo.
The creative shows three thieves breaking into one of the NBE smart banking branches and attempting to execute a money heist. The thieves are shocked to find no tellers, or human customer service employees, only machines!
The insight here is that bank robberies are staged based on the premise that employees will be present to be held hostage, stuck up, or scared into allowing it to happen. Moreover, the pain points of the banking experience in Egypt are due to large chaotic queues, slow human operated services and inefficient customer service and tellers.
NBE is eliminating all this and revolutionizing the banking experience.
The ad is humorous and enlightening – no humans only machines? The robbery fails as no physical or tangible assets were available for theft. Welcome to the future with NBE, you can do everything you need and more at the smart banking tech-operated branches.
This is the ultimate message conveyed in a light-hearted, informative and memorable fashion
