2020/2021 Winners & Shortlists

Cultural / Context information for the jury

Ramadan is the month where Muslims fast. From sunrise to sunset. And so, it is not culturally appropriate to show food ads during the day. This is especially true in Saudi Arabia, the heartland of Islam. Still, many restaurants in the Kingdom advertised, in the hopes of getting people to choose their products for Iftar - the breaking of fast at sunset. McDonald’s Saudi Arabia wanted to advertise its Iftar specials, but also wanted to remain culturally respectful. Our challenge was to achieve both. Introducing, the first ever campaign that follows the cycle of Ramadan to the minute. The McDonald’s Iftar Sand Clock. We transformed people’s beloved McDonald’s menu items into sand clocks. At every sunrise they would be empty and as the day goes by, they would fill up. Just in time for sunset, they would reveal themselves fully.

Please tell us about the social behaviour and / or cultural insights that inspired your campaign

Other brands were disrespecting the Saudi Arabian fasting experience by showing food items, during Ramadan, while people are fasting. We stayed culturally relevant yet creative by revealing our items with the cycle of Ramadan. The sand clocks in themselves are culturally relevant and respectful of our target audience’s social behavior. We even booked over and hijacked our competitor’s ads to stop them from showing food and to show our sand clocks instead.