UAE goes propaganda on turbo mode

That didn't take long.

The UAE is on the propaganda offensive with a film which features all cliches imaginable and possible, all stereotypes ever used in the communication industry, and the most blatant, flat and Passepartout copy ever written for an advertising. Anything from happy families, to "no favoritism" among expats (yeah right), to - no seriously - all the people doing the military salute, to - am telling you just recounting that makes me stomach churn. Because they had to - as in had to - demonstrate that 10 million people "trust a nation".

Now, to go back to the words of Morrissey about Live Aid and Bob Geldof - "One can have great concern for the people of Ethiopia, but it's another thing to inflict daily torture on the people of England." To create a parallel one can have great pride in the UAE, but it's another thing to inflict visual torture on the people of the earth. This ad exactly does that so much it is irritating.

Oh and pay attention, apparently all the people who flooded Linkedin about "Dubai is safe" and the whole chorus "no one asked people to speak" - yes it is direct quote and no I am trying to avoid what British influencers said about their situation there (here) as I shall classify this under "unconfirmed reports". Well, to repeat the expression "they know who is buttering their bread" or at least who is holding the butter knife. See the film here.

Yes, Dubai is safe, no, Dubai is not the same.

Mid-80s travel poster for Dubai

All over Linkedin, and I mean all over Linkedin, the same chorus appears ad infinitum "Dubai is safe" some get more creative and go "I feel safe in Dubai". I am happy for them, because I am in Lebanon and no I do not feel safe. Also add to the cacophony sentences like "the state knows what it is doing" and "Reem Al Hashimy (UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation) has given a great interview to CNN" (the last one appears under different wording but the gist is the same). 

No one talks about the conversative estimate of the 45 Billion Dollars in expected loss of revenue to the UAE from the war, because let's face it, someone in their right mind is not going to go to Dubai for vacation at this point. No matter how "safe" it is - and everyone and their mother is reminding us that it is so (check Linkedin, again).

Once the aura is broken, it cannot be restored. Do note, when the financial crisis happened in 2008, Dubai got hit incredibly hard, at one point I had a meeting with the owner of a magazine and asked why no one was covering the disaster, and he said "Tarek, there is an embargo, no one is to publish any bad articles about what is happening there, I know who is buttering my bread" - a week later he was in Dubai, met by a limousine at the airport as part of a charm offensive to open the new studios of a major news channel.

But now it is different, and yes, I know - skyscraper this, and museum of the future that, and 200-300 Millions spent yearly for the Louvre name for Abu Dhabi - for heaven's sake even Margiela has a real estate project there. I know many proclaim "life is the same", and I read that missiles or no missiles everyone is "being back to their hookah and food". Good for them. 

In this case where are there so many repatriation flights and why are they over-booked and why is everyone clamoring to get their families out and every department of foreign affairs is advising its nationals not to travel to a lot of the countries in the region or to contact their embassies urgently to be able to arrange flights for them to go back home? Because perhaps "buttering one's bread" is no longer enough.

It is estimated that the region - which had a projected growth of 13% as of December 2025 - will lose an average of 30 million visitors, and the spend that comes with them. Saudi Arabia which was projected to be on a heavy growth path is slowing down beyond any logical estimations with flight cancellations happening acutely.

Will this have a halo effect for the future is still topic of debate. To misquote Shakespeare, "something is rotten in the state of" - no, not Denmark, but rather somewhere in the GCC. And no matter how many "Dubai is safe"s I see parroted on Linkedin, something does smell foul.

Yas Island keeps screwing up the hits

It seems I am always the dissident one. But last year the ad Staying on Yas - which you guessed it was a reprise of the Bee Gees Staying Alive (with different lyrics) - was, to put it mildly, not it for me. You can see the ad here. I loved the first few seconds that mimic the original clip - three men walking in 70s clothes... Then of course, with all the other stuff that people can do on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi the video lost its plot (and its raison d'etre as a duplication of the original song). 

Somewhere in the middle there is a shopping scene on what seems to be a wink to the original film's Tony Manero (the checkered floor was a hint to the one that he dances on at the club). But otherwise, it was not it as there were too many things to list and portray (and truth be told apart from the chorus "Staying on Yas" the rest of the lyrics simply do not register for you).

But hey, seems the ad worked because Yas Island is back at it with - Yas Yas Baby - a riff on (you guessed it again) Vanilla Ice "Ice Ice Baby". Watch the ad here. The ad, like last year's is exceptionally well-produced. And even if the lyrics pop on your screen you cannot but help go back to the original hit in your own mind. 

Here's the thing - the two ads are actually nice. Really, visually they are very arresting. I just can't see the duplication of very well-known hits as something that would stick because you'll always go back to the lyrics you know (while humming along the ad).

Also, side hint, to which audience these ads are going for? I know this seems a little ridiculous but many youngsters - to which several of the depicted activities are targeted - simply do not know Staying Alive or Ice Ice Baby. Don't believe me? Look here. 

The Hidden Room - domestic workers' plight highlighted

The Hidden Room... When asked about what is their preferred room in the house, domestic workers/house helps/nannies/caretakers/housekeepers always point out to specific places in their employer's home. Which is never their own bedroom - their own little place where they have to cram their belongings with portraits of their children, or loved ones, they have left behind in their own original home countries. 

Wasanti, Melat, Queenie, and Resha could have had any other name or came from any other country, but the stories often converge. The short film (which you can watch here) highlights that no matter how big their employers' home/villa/high-rise apartment their own space remains almost the same (2x3 meters or 7x10 feet).

Of course, one of the problems is when people who help families get lumped into one specific category or appellation, and as much as the Arab nations are inherently racist, classist and derogative in mind, it does also annoy me to see all employers lumped in the same way (am sure some employers treat their help in a very dignified manner).

The movie was done for Home Box a furniture store - and the survey was done with 329 different people about their preferred place in the houses they were working in. The workers much deservedly got an upgrade to their living quarters courtesy of Home Box. Still, the film is indeed well done and does highlight the plight of migrant workers in a very good way. You might want to check how the film was done here.

Kinokuniya has quantified your social media time - in books

Facebook: 35 books.
Instagram: 43 books.
Twitter: 22 books.
Tiktok: 42 books.
Youtube: 42 books.
That's the number of books the average person can read in one year with the time they spend on social media - which averages at 8 hours.
This revelation comes from  Saatchi & Saatchi MEA who worked with Kinokuniya analyzing data around the time that customers spent scrolling through social media. This data is now being taken and visualized across channels, including this installation, encouraging more time spent reading of books.

Unfortunately all this does not apply to me - I read too voraciously and need to slow down.

Cadillac does the brightest nights for Ramadan in the UAE

Cadillac is celebrating Ramadan in the UAE. But instead of just splashing the brand anywhere it went the organic route, and a great bonus, the ads come mobile first because honestly, isn't that how we see the ads anyhow? Now there are three versions, one with Qabila (featuring Hayat) - see the ad here - one with Sofiane (the confused Arab) - see it here - and one about Tamahol (featuring race driver Amna Kobaissi) - see it here.

As I said, at least Cadillac inserted the brand very smoothly into the narrative. After all, people do drive during the month, especially at night post-iftar, they socialize massively, they eat local foods, they also go on personal journeys (what it means to fast for them, their inner growth, maybe some more determination as in the case of Amna). I think the ads are a case of personal taste: In my case I did not feel them created equal. I enjoyed massively the Qabila ad but failed to connect with Tamahol. Am sure someone else thought differently, which is why I said this is just a personal choice.

Well, yes, I am aware "influencers" were used in these ads, but the choice was smart and studied - we don't have any lifestyle bloggers or whatever they dub themselves. No, we truly have people who established careers in various domains, proved themselves in the said fields, and are viable role models in one way or another.

I am glad brands have dropped the flash in the pan representatives they used to deal with in the past, and are rather focusing on mature, reliable people to front them. 

Now, for some reason I keep thinking of this ad as "white nights" not brightest nights. But perhaps this is just me being a kid from the 80s.

A winter through my eyes - UAE is equally felt and seen.

UAE Government Media Office found a splendid way to encourage winter tourism - all thanks to Tahaab Rais (formerly of FP7 & McCann) who left them a parting gift at the door. Is the film touristic? You bet it is. But the beauty of it is that would have been pure boring cliches are viewed from a totally different angle. Do we "see" Burj Khalifa? Do we delight at the sight of dune buggies? Do we feast our eyes with the camp fire near the tent at night? Do we enjoy the (artificial) snow visually? Yes we do. But the main protagonist of the film "hears" the fireworks of the Burj Khalifa, enjoys the wind striking her face as the buggies speed through the desert, is able to feel the warmth the fire against the cold night, and eventually can touch the tenderness of the snow... Why? Because the genius of the creative idea is that she is blind.

Mark Twain said, "the coldest winter is summer in San Francisco" but the "world's coolest winter" is one in the UAE. A country that can be felt, through its traditions, values and hospitality with even being seen. In his masterpiece The Little Prince, Antoine de St Exupery said "we only see well with the heart, the essential is invisible to the eyes".

Clara, the main protagonist of the film echoes this by saying: “You know what I learnt, when you really want to feel something, we don’t need to look with our eyes. We need to look with our hearts. So, even if I cannot see, it’s everything I have felt here that has helped me see so much more.”

Please watch the film here.

Emirates NDB - the wise ones indeed.

Now that we established that banks are not the favorite institutions according to the Lebanese.... It seems the Emiratis have a totally different perspective about them there. 48% of people said they had no issue sharing their data with banks as long as they use them ethically. Well, good for them because it seems Emirates NBD, one of the leading banks in the region wanted to pamper those who put their trust in them! In an incredible association of data and creativity (praise goes to the concept, data, more than the creativity truth be told), an ad (which was shot in 12 hours owing to COVID restrictions!) shows "the others" (annoying truth be told, but I am sure it was meant to be so!), and "the wise ones" - they know where they put there money, and they know how to take advantage of what the bank has to offer with other institutions (free hotel rooms, great shopping deals, sending money across borders without a charge and the list continues...). 

Sometimes ads benefit from COVID restrictions (like the mighty Stories of Mecca!), sometimes a bit less so (as the current case of the Emirates NBD ad). But still, as I said, when it comes to combining data with storytelling is the ad's strength (maybe the casting or direction though could have benefited from a second opinion!)...

Still, that granny on Tiktok is something to behold!

Babyshop excells for UAE National Day

To make a moving ad, just add a pinch-me till I cry copy, and with some of those pre-packaged inspirational imagery. To make a great moving ad, go to the Babyshop ad for the Emirates 49th National Day. Now that was something. Sure, they used impressive copy speaking to a still not born generation, but they did it with panache and true mastery. Did they insert imagery which tackles imagination? Sure they did, but did it unobtrusively, with pride and true conviction. And that baby sonar still in the womb which changes with how the copy/imagery goes, that was a real nice touch (remember, they are Babyshop). NGOs have been trying to find such a formula for Lebanon (especially after the August 4 explosion and apart from One Act, everyone failed). The Arabic tag #نبض_قلوبنا works better than the #OurHearbeats to be honest, but that is splitting hairs. Watch the Babyshop ad here.

UAE rebrands

So the Emirates drops the eage and goes towards an abstract design which according to the National newspaper, is somewhere between wave and and dune in terms of movement and shape - and is also an abstract map of the country. The new logo is accompanied by a selling line "Make it happen" which reflects the journey of the nation. As the new logo helps propell the Emirates into the future, apparently 10 million trees will be planted (one for every vote) in West Papua, Indonesia, a centre for marine biodiversity, and at the Amaltaari planting site in Nawalparasi, Nepal to support the endangered species, such as the Bengal tiger, that live there. Now, CSR aside, the logo must live and prosper according to its own merit.