2022 Winners & Shortlists

Cultural / Context information for the jury

The United Arab Emirates (and Middle Eastern region) has a fossil-fuel-based economy and ranks amongst the top 20 countries in terms of fuel usage and consumption. And since climate change is destroying our planet and leading to a massive increase in occurrence and intensity of wildfires, we decided to use a classic Christmas symbol to drive a powerful message and spur a reaction from people. As a leader in sustainability, Mall of the Emirates is continuously looking for ways to reduce its impact on the environment. It’s reduced water usage, energy consumption and increased recycling rates over the years so creating an activation like this one was a given for the brand.

Please outline the innovative elements of the work.

The campaign is innovative from start to end. First, because it got people to care about wildfires and climate change by taking the season’s most traditional ceremony and giving it a hugely unexpected twist. And second, because of how we reimagined an incredibly traditional Christmas symbol, a mall’s Christmas tree, to create a striking installation and spectacle that used technology/innovation to deliver a gut-wrenching message to all visitors. A digital carbon-neutral tree that lights beautifully and, all of a sudden, burns to ashes is an absolute first in any mall/City Centre around the world. And all the innovation was what really made it different and successful.