2011 Winners & Shortlists

Brief Explanation

We took a subtle approach to comedy with Panda spots. Most comedy in Egypt is rather loud, in-your-face, and highly dependent on verbal jokes. We were looking to try a dark/dry situational comedy with little being said. Which, until Panda, was unusual for an Egyptian TV spot. That explains why it did so well internationally. “Never Say No to Panda” the theme line, we wanted to really make it surprising, the Panda bear would show up in normal cheese eating situations. So the film direction has a “hyper real” feeling, de-saturated colors and awkward “real people” cast. That way, when the Panda appears to wreak havoc, the audience is really taken by surprise. The story is told with minimum amount of cuts to make that real feeling turn to comic release. Situation: Arab Dairy Panda cheese (prominent dairy products manufacturer) wanted to increase market share/awareness. Insight: Panda gets best quality ingredients to produce cheese, that is why it is irresistible. Idea: Irresistibly = Never Say No To Panda. Solution: Translating irresistibly claim literally that you can never say no to the real panda (Mascot). Double meaning gave a boost to the humor while maintaining the brand strategy/promise