If you’ve been watching the awards results, you’ll have seen some pretty remarkable work from the Middle East.

This striking black & white retail fashion campaign, Silver Lining, by Impact BBDO Dubai has to make the creatives judging what’s great this year pay attention.

Its point of view is delightfully negative, “Everyday life sets up to ruin your day.” Black humour never fails to cut through the clutter of ad messages. (Unless you’re competing with Harvey Nichols, of course.) How many fashion ads (except Harvey Nichols) put super stylish images AND a captivating story you can follow together? And how many ads for sales try to make their mark on audiences with either?

The campaign for Landmark Group Dubai’s fashion department store chain, Centrepoint, began with the ad, Sabotage, in August.

The second ad in the series, Lies, has just been released.

The message is that in the wake of life’s malevolence, “The only thing going for you right now is the Centrepoint sale. Because when life sends you a piano [or in the case of Sabotage, a train], the only thing you can do is look good.”

Kudos to Bruce Barker for the narration and to Australia’s Ralph Van Dijk, founding creative director of Eardum for the V/O mix. Every intonation, every pause – perfect.

Credits

Agency: Impact BBDO Dubai

Executive creative director: Fadi Yaish
Associate creative director: Alok Mohan
TV producer: Rajaa Chami

Production company: Good People
Director: Maged Nasser
Executive producers: Michel Abou Zeid & Cynthia Chammas
DOP: Pierre Mouarkesh

Post Production (offline and grade): Amr Rabee and Karim Mira – Lizard VFX Shop, Cairo
Post Production (online): Serena, Dubai
Post Production (CGI): Digital District, Paris

V/O mix: Ralph Van Dijk @ Eardrum, Australia
Music and sound design: Goldstein, UK