The Lantern Award

Brand: Benefit cosmetics

Creative agency: Diwanee

Benefit Cosmetics’ 2019 entry draws on star power and a web series format to take the number two spot. This finalist’s fresh format, the inclusion of YouTube creators Noor Stars, Safa Srour, Hindash, Nawras Sattar and Hanan Alraimi, and a giveaway competition provide a new take on 2019 Ramadan campaigns. Its length of over 9 minutes highlights how product can be seamlessly integrated with entertainment.

Brand: TATA Motors

Creative agency: Ogilvy

Media agency: Wavemaker

The message of Tata Motors’ 2019 Ramadan ad is one that captures the spirit of the Holy Month. The finalist takes the form of a short film, focusing on the breaking down of religious and racial barriers, and the goodness associated with giving. The Ramadan-specific insights ensured that this film ranked third in the leaderboard.

Brand: Banque Misr

Creative agency: AB and Partners Media agency: Wavemaker

Music is king, and Banque Misr’s effort is no exception. A hearty combination of song, panoramic shots of both city and nature, and the inclusion of children all throughout, ensured that this submission ranked fourth in the leaderboard.

Brand: Zain Kuwait

Creative agency: Joy productions Media agency: OMD Kuwait

Zain Kuwait uses Ramadan specific insights to promote values during the holy month. This year, they’re tackling the issue of tolerance and acceptance through an emotionally impactful song that shows the power of faith.

Brand: Etisalat Misr

Creative agency: FP7

Media agency: Starcom

The star power of Jean-Claude Van Damme and Mohamed Ramadan, combined with the catchiness of a song and dance number, and high-quality special effects, ensured that this advertisement pulled in over 104 million views by close of submissions.    

Brand: Orange Egypt

Creative agency: Leo Burnett

Media agency: UM Cairo

Orange Egypt’s 2019 submission pulls out all the stops, creating a catchy tune that places memorability above everything else. High production quality and a star focus (Nancy Ajram and Tamer Hosny) ensured that this advertisement logged over 23 million views and an organic viewership nearly 20% higher than this year’s submission average.

Brand: Viva Kuwait

Creative agency: Doors production

Media agency: Starcom 

Viva Telecoms invites you to celebrate Ramadan with the Karkasha family. A glimpse into the lifestyle and habits of this family in a very musical format. There was a sense of continuity in this multi-part story that also had music and embraced a family theme popular during Ramadan. 

Brand: Zain Group

Creative agency: Joy Productions

Media agency: OMD Kuwait 

Zain’s Eid celebration ad also puts kids center stage. It draws in viewers’ attention by welcoming Eid in a joyful way with lots of singing and dancing, showcasing the power of music in an ad again. 

Brand: Mobily

Creative agency: 8ies

Media agency: Initiative

This advertisement by Mobily captures the traditional values of family and community that are so closely associated with Ramadan. The trend that they played on was the music that heavily featured in an ad celeberating gargee’an, the local Halloween-style celebration that occurs pre-Ramadan. Naturally, children also play a big role in it. The infectious nature of their singing and dancing is what drew its organic viewership to exceed the average of Lantern submissions.