Brands have a huge role to play during these uncertain times of COVID-19.
A recent study conducted by Edelman has revealed that as well as offering new products and services that specifically target pandemic-related life challenges, brands have an important role to play as communicators.
The study also showed that what people most want to see from brands at the moment is tangible and helpful action. Transparency, empathy and compassion being paramount!
The majority of people in the study also indicated that how well a company responds to the coronavirus crisis, will have a huge impact on their likelihood of buying from it in the future. Many, too, have started using a new brand because of the innovative or compassionate way the brand has behaved since the pandemic began.
So with no manual for these uncertain times, how have brands handled this new norm of advertising? While some have withdrawn from the scene in a crisis, others have seized the opportunity to reach out to the community and stay relevant.
From heart-warming and comforting ads, to Ramadan-centric, storytelling and informative ads, here’s a list of must-watch video brand campaigns from across the Middle East:
Till We Meet Again – Visit Dubai
Abu Dhabi: Stay Home, Stay Safe, Stay Curious – Visit Abu Dhabi
Ode to Empty Roads – Nissan Middle East
Do You Remember – Emirates
We Are One – Expo 2020 Dubai
A Message From Expo 2020 Dubai – Expo 2020 Dubai
A World We Deserve – Babyshop
Proud of You – Bank Dhofar
Ramadan Lives On – stc Kuwait
Stay Home. We Deliver – Domino’s
#StayHome – Honda
#Homemade_Ramadan – du
Thank you Heroes! – Cafu
Ramadan 2020 | An Ooredoo Story – Oooredoo
Together In Spirit – MG Middle East
Our colleagues and partners…We miss you and we’ll see you soon – TECOM Group
Covid-19: Preventive Measures – Motivate Val Morgan
Source: Edelman, Campaign Middle East and YouTube
Lions Live is a digital education platform to support the creative community
Cannes Lions has introduced ‘Lions Live’, a digital education, inspiration and networking experience that will run throughout June under the theme ‘Creativity Matters’. Activity will build to a peak during the original dates of the Festival of Creativity, 22-26 June.
Lions Live will comprise masterclasses and hangouts with creative industry legends, lectures from experts, talks from speakers confirmed for the Festival, and a selection of the most impactful professional classes and learning modules from the world of creativity, effectiveness and marketing. The platform will also feature Future Gazers – a collection of industry experts who will assess how Covid-19 has transformed the way the industry will need to approach Cannes Lions’ already-announced 2020 themes. It will also showcase the best of the hundreds of responses to the current crisis from the global creative community currently being shared on the newly-launched Creativity Moves us Forward platform. Access to Lions Live: Creativity Matters will be free of charge to all.
The Work – the subscription-only archive of more than 200,000 Lions campaigns and 1,600 Festival talks – will be made freely accessible to all throughout the original Festival week, providing access to case studies and inspiration to help fuel ideas and creativity. Additionally, during June anyone will be able to access a specially curated course of lessons taken from the Cannes Lions masterclass series on 42courses.com. This will include lessons from the likes of Rei Inamoto, Keith Reinhard and Debbi Vandeven, on topics such as Creative Effectiveness, Strategy, Storytelling, Behavioural Science and Digital Marketing. Meanwhile, Cannes Lions’ sister companies MediaLink and WARC will also be bringing their Cannes activities to life, with a virtual MediaLink networking beach, and lessons on the very best effectiveness strategies from around the world presented by WARC.
Simon Cook, Managing Director of Cannes Lions, said “In order to drive progress through creativity, and support our community at this difficult time, we want to provide the global industry with the opportunity to learn and network throughout June and beyond. For the first time in nearly 70 years, we are unable to bring the industry together in one physical place in June. Lions Live: Creativity Matters will provide a virtual platform for the industry to collaborate, learn and problem-solve, because now more than ever, creativity really does matter.”
Motivate Media Group and Motivate Val Morgan are the official representatives of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in the UAE.
Founder and Managing Partner of Motivate Media Group – Ian Fairservice, explains why staying visible is vital and how partnering with Gulf News will keep print titles top-of-mind.
There are three very pertinent items for the media industry in the Gulf News edition dated Tuesday 21st April 2020.
Their front cover opinion piece is headlined: ‘UAE newspapers in unprecedented crisis’. It makes the point that there is a global surge in the consumption of news and, with so much ‘fake news’ out there, people are turning to established media for reliable information.
True, and whether that’s found in print editions or online is not important. What is important is that without advertising revenue, or as Gulf News points out, a share of the government’s financial stimulus packages, those reliable news sources will dry up forever.
Page 2 poses the question: “Is this really the newspaper industry’s final battle?” and discusses in depth the challenges facing print media locally and globally. Turning through to the bottom of page 15, Vrinda Gupta sums up the situation succinctly with three invaluable recommendations for all companies: Stay agile, remain relevant and be very visible – “being visible in difficult times matters for businesses,” she wrote.
Gupta concludes: “If there is anything that we learned from the 2008 Global Economic Crisis it is that companies that were most visible recovered the fastest”.
Most people in the industry will be familiar with the Wanamaker Dilemma. A prominent US retailer, John Wanamaker famously said: “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is, I don’t know which half”.
Less true today with more sophisticated data available but, in a serious economic decline, brands can’t afford not to take that chance. Marketing remains a must. Companies need to think long and hard about the best possible media mix and do their utmost to stack the odds in their favour.
A lesser-known story is that of Kellogg’s and Post cereal companies in the 1920s. When the depression hit, Post, who were market leaders – and Kellogg’s biggest rival – cut right back on advertising while Kellogg’s more than doubled its spend. By the early 1930s, Kellogg’s dominated the market. And who now has ever heard of Post cereals?
For our part at Motivate we are not just focusing more energy and talent on our online editions, we’re also maintaining the balance by ensuring that much-loved print products reach readers despite the inherent difficulties. Which is why, Motivate Media Group are moving the vast majority of print to a free distribution model that will continue as long as needed.
While maintaining stock at major retailers, starting immediately, through a new arrangement with Gulf News, free copies of What’s On, Emirates Woman, Gulf Business and Identity will be delivered directly to Gulf News subscribers’ homes.
Copies will initially be supplied to Emirates Hills, Emirates Living, Arabian Ranches, JLT, Dubai Marina, Palm Jumeirah, Umm Suqeim and Trade Centre 2.
The philosophy is very straightforward – we are adapting our business model to ensure that no magazines go unread.
This is Motivate’s strategy to maintain service to our readers, visibility for our brands and ROI for our advertisers.
Maintaining brand visibility through difficult times and taking advantage of potential stand-out in a less noisy and cluttered media space is essential for those businesses that strive to come through, like Kellogg’s, stronger than ever. Snap, Crackle & Pop.
Source: Gulf Business and Campaign Middle East
Motivate Val Morgan is a joint venture company established in 1999 by Motivate Media Group and Val Morgan Cinema Network.
In less than 24 hours, Bollywood lost two legends last week – Irrfan Khan and Rishi Kapoor, both to the battle with cancer.
Irrfan Khan, known internationally for his roles in Life Of Pi and Slumdog Millionaire, died on Wednesday 29th April 2020 at age 53 from colon cancer. He spent his life breaking stereotypes in the many movies he starred in and resonated especially well with fans. He was also a man who achieved what a few actors manage to do – success in two of the world’s biggest film industries – Hollywood and Bollywood.
Then, on Thursday 30th April 2019, Indian cinema received another blow with news of the death of Bollywood veteran and icon Rishi Kapoor at age 67 from leukaemia.
Khan and Kapoor were very different actors. Khan was one who lent an extraordinary touch to the most ordinary roles (through his intensity, studiousness and approachability) and came to the spotlight from very humble roots from. Kapoor on the other hand came from a Bollywood dynasty and was the original pin-up boy of the 70s, who featured in over than 100 films and had longest run in Bollywood as a romantic lead (from the 1970s to the late 1990s), eventually growing to become everyone’s choice to play multifaceted characters.
But one thing is for sure … while these two legends are no more, their work will be cherished and will live on forever.
In memory of Irrfan Khan and Rishi Kapoor, here’s a list of must-watch movies starring the two Bollywood icons:
Irrfan Khan
Hindi Medium (2017)
A lighthearted romantic film about a young couple Raj (Khan) & Mita (Saba Qamar) who live in Chandni Chowk, Delhi, with aspirations to move into English speaking society for their daughter’s sake. The film traces their trials and tribulations on this journey and the impact it has on their relationship on their family.
Qarib Qarib Singlle (2017)
A contemporary love story between two opposite personalities who embark upon an unusual journey, which becomes an adventure of a lifetime. The film is a refreshing take on love and self-discovery. Parvathy and Irrfan’s dialogue and chemistry makes it a hilariously enjoyably film which will leave you with a smile.
Piku (2015)
In this heart-warming slice of life film of a father-daughter relationship with plenty humor, Irrfan Khan plays the role of a local cab driver with family drama of his own. It’s a classic Khan sidekick role, where his wisdom ends up carrying much of the film’s message.
Haider (2014)
This film is the third installment of director Vishal Bhardwaj’s Shakespearean trilogy – Maqbool, Omkara and Haider. In Haider, Khan emboldens the protagonist’s desire for revenge over his father’s death and the film brilliantly underscores how politics become so personal in times of militancy. Khan also acted in the highly acclaimed Maqbool.
The Lunch Box (2013)
Khan plays the role of an accountant who has just been widowed. He accidentally starts to receive lunches with notes in them by a woman trying to save her own marriage, and thus begins a series of lunchbox notes and a virtual affair.
Life of Pi (2012)
This groundbreaking movie is about a young man who survives a disaster at sea and is hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery. While cast away, he forms an amazing and unexpected connection with another survivor – a fearsome Bengal tiger. Khan plays the adult character of Piscine ‘Pi’ Patel, and a heartbreaking scene from Life of Pi, in which Khan talks about life and death, is being widely shared online since his passing: “What hurts the most is not taking a moment to say goodbye.”
Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
This movie unfolds in a series of emotional flashbacks and Khan plays the role of a police inspector who keeps bringing us back to the modern day. From tough-talking and threatening to being forgiving and compassionate – all of which is signature Khan, Slumdog Millionaire was Khan’s big introduction to western audiences.
Life in a Metro (2007)
This film is about six different stories of the interconnected lives of a diverse group of people all occurring within one place – Mumbai Metro. Khan plays Monty, a sweet but socially awkward guy (another signature Khan role).
Rishi Kapoor
Mera Naam Joker (1970)
Directed by father Raj Kapoor, the 1970 drama catapulted a teenaged Kapoor to stardom. This movie also earned him a National Film Award for Best Child Artist.
Bobby (1973)
A classic drama by Raj Kapoor about interfaith lovers. The movie featured Rishi Kapoor in his first lead role opposite Dimple Kapadia, and its legacy today lives on through the classic song sequence, ‘Hum Tum Ek Kamre Mein Bandh Ho’.
Amar Akbar Anthony (1977)
In this timeless tale of three brothers raised with different faiths, Kapoor dials up the charm as the young romantic, Akbar. Aside from the laughs and punchlines, fans of Rishi Kapoor will certainly want to re-watch this classic, mainly for his eight-minute qawwali song, ‘Parda Hai Parda’.
Do Dooni Chaar (2010)
In this slide-of-life comedy by director Habib Faisal, Kapoor portrays a middle-class school teacher struggling with inflation and financial pressures. The film received widespread critical acclaim.
Agneepath (2012)
The pin-up boy of the 70s reinvented himself as a villainous character – Rauf Lala, for Karen Johar’s retelling of the cult classic rom the 90s. The sheer breadth of his talent is visible in his role as a ruthless criminal.
Kapoor & Sons (2016)
This coming-of-age comedy is packed with talent—from Rajat Kapoor and Fawad Khan to Ratna Pathak Shah and Alia Bhatt, Rishi Kapoor plays the role of a wizened grandfather who is on a quest to secure a family portrait with his dysfunctional family.
Sources: Rotten Tomatoes, BBC, CNN, Gulf News, Vogue, Rotten Tomatoes and YouTube
Since Covid-19 started, the activity of many brands has been significantly altered. One sector that is being affected is automotive. Brands are investing less on traditional advertising, while some are going completely dark.
But how is it possible to create a car commercial when it’s impossible to go outside due to lockdowns? Honda UAE together with Memac Ogilvy Dubai found a way to craft the ad doing everything from home (written, directed, edited and watched), relating it back to #StayHome and using the Honda Civic.
But not a regular Civic. For its new commercial, Trading Enterprises – Honda used a full-scale miniature car. The camera shots managed to fool the eye so that at all times you feel like you’re watching a real car commercial.
Throughout this piece we can read: “This might be the first car commercial to be written, directed, edited and watched entirely from home”. A message of adaptation, commitment and encouragement, showing what we can continue to do from home. Closing with “Until we drive again”, the Japanese brand sends a message of desire to the world to drive again as soon as possible.
With this piece, Honda UAE demonstrates everything we can still do through what seemed impossible: a car commercial made entirely from home.
Credits:
Agency
Chief Creative Officer / Juggi Ramakrishnan
Creative Director / Jean-Pierre De Villiers
Creative Team / Nicolas Lopez and Fernando Montero
Client Team Lead / Hadi Ballout
Senior Account Manager / Kenneth Monis
Account Manager / Firas Rehimi
Head of Production / Amin Soltani
Director / Amin Soltani
Junior Producer / Ann Vaas
Client
Grant Bowring / Head of Marketing & Brand Operations
Rohit Bedekar / Marketing Communication Executive
Emad Hassan / Digital Marketing Manager
Source – Campaign Middle East
Like it or not, we are all stuck inside the house these days as a result of the coronavirus crisis, and whether working from home or just chilling, it’s good to take a cinematic break
With cinemas closed and blockbusters-in-waiting – postponed for later this year or all the way through to next year, thankfully, there are many movies offering some form of escape during this time of distress.
Here’s a list of 100 amazing movies to watch in the comfort of your home:
When you need something out of this world
When you need a change in scenery
When you need family bonding time
When you need a belly laugh
When you need a good scare
When you need a super-duper hero
When you need a history lesson
When you need a great movie
When you need a not-so-great movie
When you need your heart warmed
Enjoy!
Source: US Today
As the impact from COVID-19 continues to be felt across the world, the Cannes Lions Festival 2020 will no longer take place from 26-30 October, 2020 as previously planned.
The next edition of the Festival will run 21-25 June, 2021.
The difficult decision follows in-depth consultations with partners and customers and reflects the unprecedented societal, health and economic challenges currently facing the world, as well as the desire to remove any uncertainty about the running of the awards and event for partners and customers.
Cannes Lions without the Lions is nothing – the work is the pinnacle of what Cannes Lions represents. Creative winning ideas should be celebrated and the Festival doesn’t think it’s an appropriate time for that right now. Cannes Lions also realises that the creative community has other challenges to face right now, and simply isn’t in a position to put forward the work that will set the benchmark.
All entries into Cannes Lions 2020 will be judged next year, which will have a two-year eligibility period. Additionally, Festival tickets will be transferred directly to the next edition.
For further questions, please contact [email protected]
Click here to access the full announcement from Cannes Lions.
As the official representatives of the Cannes Lions Festival in the UAE, Motivate Media Group and Motivate Val Morgan will no longer host the UAE Young Lions Digital Competition in 2020.
For more information on the UAE Young Lions Digital Competition, please contact [email protected]
Source: Cannes Lions
Wonder Woman 1984 to release on August 14, 2020 (worldwide)
The coronavirus crisis has hit the entertainment industry hard, with many film and TV projects forced to make some drastic decisions in recent weeks.
If you’re anything like us, having witnessed Diana Prince’s epic sprint through the bleak and hellish emptiness of no man’s land, you are even more desperate for more from the DC’s iconic goddess. But, it seems like all of us will have to wait a little longer to see Wonder Woman in action again!
Wonder Woman 1984 was initially set to release in early June, but has now been postponed until August 2020, and despite the rumours you might have heard, both Warner Bros. and director Patty Jenkins assures fans the now-delayed DC film will be released in cinema and not via VOD/streaming platforms.
In a tweet posted following news of the film’s delay, Jenkins declared, “We made Wonder Woman 1984 for the big screen and I believe in the power of cinema.” She then reiterated that Wonder Woman 1984’s new release date is August 14, and that she prays for “better times for all by then.”
Most delayed movies currently plan to arrive in cinema at some point, though Universal decided to forgo its theatrical run of Emma, The Invisible Man, The Hunt and Trolls World Tour – releasing then directly on VOD. Some fans have called for other films to do the same as Universal in order for them to have access to more entertainment while in lockdown and quarantine at home, but no other movies have taken that route.
Jenkins also stressed that many cinemas are struggling to cope with their shutdowns, something that has been echoed by other directors. Christopher Nolan and Edgar Wright are among those who have encouraged support for cinemas during this time, either by buying memberships or through governmental assistance. In recent days, directors have championed the theatrical experience as more and more people rely on streaming services to keep them occupied.
Sources: Screenrant, World of Reel, Twitter and Techradar
Motivate Val Morgan Cinema Update 2019
Since opening the doors to its first cinema in the capital city of Riyadh in 2018, Saudi movie-goers can’t seem to get enough of this unique entertainment platform.
The Kingdom had 6.6 million cinema visits in 2019, and the 2020 pipeline is on track to meet this growing demand, with new locations set to open in Jubail, Taif, Al-Ahsa, Dhahran, Hail and other cities across the Kingdom.
As for the rest of the region in 2019, cinema exhibitors continued to maintain steady growth by investing in the opening of new locations and growing their circuit of innovative cinema experiences.
2019 was also the first year to have nine films cross the billion-dollar milestone (globally), surpassing 2015’s and 2018’s record of five billion-dollar films. Additionally, Disney (not counting Marvel or Star Wars) saw four films cross US$1 billion (globally) – the studio’s highest amount in any calendar year.
Motivate Val Morgan witnessed an increase in integrated cinema campaign bookings in 2019 – covering both on and off screen advertising, and welcomed a range of first-time advertisers to our list of clients.
Cinema is undoubtedly the ultimate platform for memorable storytelling, for it helps advertisers target specific audiences, builds deeper audience engagement and delivers valuable incremental reach when added as part of a larger media mix.
Click HERE to access the report and contact us to make cinema an integral part of your media plan in 2020!
Muvi Cinemas – Saudi Arabia’s first homegrown cinema brand, opened its doors to cinema audiences at its fourth location at U-Walk in Riyadh on Thursday 5th March 2020.
The cinema features 13 screens with a total of 1398 seats and a range of cinema experiences which include Dolby Cinema™, ScreenX, Samsung Onyx and Suites.
Dolby Cinema™ delivers the total cinema experience. It combines the most powerful image and sound technologies with inspired design to make every visit an unforgettable cinematic event.
ScreenX is a truly immersive cinema experience for those who want to experience blockbusters not just watch them. The world’s first multi projection movie theatre. ScreenX presents unprecedented panorama screen by extending the main screen to each side of walls in the auditorium. Through this panorama screen, the audience will feel as if they are right in the movie. This experience is also available at the cinema exhibitor’s Mall of Arabia location in Jeddah.
Muvi Cinemas is the first cinema in the Middle East to include a Samsung Onyx Cinema LED screen, which accommodates virtually any venue configuration while delivering technical performance and reliability beyond that of traditional projector-based operations.
The extraordinary display installed at Muvi Cinemas – U-Walk transforms the cinema viewing experience with HDR support, offering unparalleled picture quality – true colors and greater vibrancy and accuracy.
Discover the key features of Samsung Onyx in the video below:
Suites is the ultimate luxury cinema experience by Muvi – featuring reclining seats, footrests, extra legroom and USB charging ports. The experience includes an exclusive lounge with an a la carte menu, where cinemagoers can choose from light bites to a full meal. Meals can be eaten in the lounge or inside cinema.
The opening of U-Walk follows the launch of the 7 screen cinema with 659 seats at Nakheel Mall in the city of Dammam which opened in February 2020.
For more information about Muvi Cinemas, visit: www.muvicinemas.com
As the official cinema advertising partner of Muvi Cinemas, Motivate Val Morgan congratulates the cinema exhibitor on its opening at U-Walk (Riyadh) and Nakheel Mall (Dammam), and warmly welcomes these two new location to our cinema circuit in KSA. Contact us for cinema advertising opportunities in KSA.
Source: Muvi Cinemas and Samsung
