15% of homes in the Middle East are homes of blended families. But women marrying again is seen as a taboo and few people talk about it owing to social and cultural prejudices. No brand had ever delved into it until The Creature by Leo Burnett Middle East and Home Centre was released.
The film is the first piece of a bigger campaign that will not only celebrate stepfathers but importantly, talk about the bigger topic of remarriage in the Arab world. It tells the story of a child who goes through the stages of fear, disgust, angst, and confusion against an evil creature who is going to rob him of his mother’s love, the warmth of his home, and everything that he holds dear. But through the course of the film, the child’s views about the monster change over a period of months, and he finally accepts the creature – his stepdad.
The film ends with a message – stepdads are the dads who step up.
The soundtrack behind the film is an original soundtrack, written and composed for this film, The lighthouse and the boat. The song’s story is told through the metaphor of a lighthouse and a boat, encompassing the relationship between two people – a stepfather and a son – two worlds apart, trying to fill a missing gap in their life.
The film was directed by Tahaab Rais, chief strategy officer at Publicis Groupe MENAT, who was also the songwriter and lyricist for the commercial’s soundtrack, The lighthouse and the boat.
The broader initiative includes a content series by prominent psychologist, Dr. Saliha Afridi, around the journey of remarriage, news features about the topic, as well as social content to create awareness and drive support for the topic.
Home Centre is a leading furniture retailer in the Middle East with a brand purpose of “enabling every home to tell its own unique story”. It focuses on stories in homes across the Middle East that aren’t told. It has spoken about single moms and adoption in the past, and this time, it is tackling the taboo around remarriage and stepfathers.
Credits
Brand: Home Centre
Head of Marketing: Siddarth Sivaprakash
Marketing Team: Atharv Ruparel & Hassan Khan
Creative Agency: Leo Burnett MEA (Middle East & Africa) Dubai
Chief Executive Officer – Publicis Groupe MENAT: Bassel Kakish
Chief Creative Officer: Kalpesh Patankar
Chief Strategy Officer – Publicis Groupe MENAT: Tahaab Rais
Associate Creative Director Creative: Farhan Siddiqui
Head of Production: Shereen Mostafa
Chief Executive Officer – Publicis Communications: Nathalie Gevresse
Business Lead – Communications Consultancy: Vicky Kriplani
Senior Producer: Judy Lamaa
Senior Manager – Communications Consultancy: Maria Jabbour
Manager – Communications Consultancy: Nahla Jaber
Head of Strategy & Insights: Aakriti Goel
Senior Manager – Strategy & Insights: Anna Sadykova
Production Company: Prodigious ME
Chief Executive Officer: Sami Saleh
Director: Tahaab Rais
Production Lead: Myriam Abi Wardeh
Producer: Ralph Matar
Director of Photography: Aeyaz Hasn
Assistant Director: Vanessa Mghames
Production Manager: George Khalaf
Production Coordinator: Nour Helou
Production Assistants: Rami Noureddine, Nader Al Zohbi
Art Director: Bora Batur
Post Production: Optix ME
Post Production Lead: Nayla Chacra
Post Producer: Megan Markel
Editor (Cold Cutz): Neda Ahmed
Online Supervisor: Eddy Farah
Online Artist: Rita Mechedjian, Priyanka Bhatheji
Colorist (LZRD): Karim Mira
Music: Magma Music Agency
Lyricist & songwriter: Tahaab Rais
Music Creative Director: Seppl Kretz
Music Supervisor: Michael Bertoldini
Composers: 22ghosts
Sound Design: Bram Van Bergen
Vocalist: Joseph Bills
