2019 Winners & Shortlists

Background.

McDonald’s has been in Saudi Arabia for more than 18 years. Although It has always been a landmark, it is still perceived as a very western menu and brand by the Saudis who often prefer the local diners. The intention was to give McDonald's an Arabic flavor, making their food iconic. With no production budget at hand we needed to create a big impact and spark a conversation that all Saudi’s would partake in.

Describe the creative idea.

We create the ‘Calligraphic Menu’. A menu highlighting the brand’s best sellers exclusively using a traditional yet modernized Arabic calligraphy. An art form that is very close to the heart of the Saudis.

Describe the strategy.

Most foreign brands attempt to localize themselves in Saudi but with no avail. In order for our brand to succeed we needed to go to the roots of Arabic culture: it’s language and the calligraphic art form that has represented it for millennia. By creating a full menu exclusively using traditional Arabic calligraphy the Saudis were given a totally new perspective on a menu that had remained foreign for them. A perspective that showed that if we listen carefully we can learn to talk and sound as a native. The Saudis, a proud people, appreciated the move and no-longer saw a foreign entity attempting to capture their attention.

Describe the execution.

The name of each item was Arabized, calligraphed and integrated inside the created design based on the original shape of the food item of the menu. Each design elements were mainly created to be used as posters and in in-store branding originally, but have a potential to be used in promotions and menus. The font used was an uplifted modernized ‘Diwani’ (a calligraphic variety of Arabic script, still used sometimes in some official correspondence), now ownable by the brand, using only the main brand colors, the red and the yellow.

List the results.

Value to the brand: A brand that was always considered as a foreign brand, this campaign gave it a local identity and iconized the client’s menu which in turn created a deeper emotional connection with the Saudi population. Cultural impact: Over and above the emotional connection established with the Saudis, we brought back into popular culture the traditional ‘Diwani’ calligraphy in a contemporary way.