Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB) has recently launched an innovative television campaign that emphasises the importance of giving in the Holy Month.
With television viewership increasing by 20 per cent during Ramadan, and with many regional channels accounting more than 20 per cent of their annual programming budget during the Holy Month, Ramadan is the ideal month to build brand awareness and sustain brand exposure, explained Kashif Moosa, Head of Corporate Development, Dubai Islamic Bank.
"Advertising revenues in Ramadan represent more than a third of annual revenues for many channels, which demonstrates the value of airing ads during this month," added Moosa. "Our recent campaign encapsulates the spirit of Ramadan perfectly, and is being aired at prime time on local channels. We hope that our viewers will take a moment to reflect on the significance of giving during this blessed month."
Produced by Dev Vaswani of Milkshake Media, a company renowned for delivering high-quality productions, and directed by Moneer Barakat, a director known for his ability to develop complex characters in short clips, "Give" tells the tale of an anonymous benefactor who travels through Dubai's dusty roads in the intense heat to leave mysterious packages for the needy.
"'Give' dramatises the idea that the really good deeds are normally the anonymous ones, as mentioned by the Prophet Mohammed (Peace be upon Him), in his Hadith: 'There are seven whom Allah will shade in His Shade on the Day when there is no shade except His Shade...A man who gives in charity and hides it, such that his left hand does not know what his right hand gives in charity'" said Salah Al Hashimi, Head of Corporate Communications, Dubai Islamic Bank. "This holds true even more so in Ramadan, where giving and helping others is not only part of the Ramadan spirit and of DIB's spirit as well."
Al Hashimi added: "Ramadan is cluttered with commercials. One way to break free from this clutter is to have a new approach to your campaign. In our case, we opted for sending a social message which the audience can relate to in the month of Ramadan. This can have far greater impact than a conventional commercial advertisement."
"We chose this script because of the approach and the treatment of the ad," explained Abbas Fidvi, Corporate Communications Manager, Dubai Islamic Bank. "The concept might be simple but the emotions and elegance of the treatment, together with the hint of mystery and surrealism, makes it stand out."
"In terms of cinematography, we chose Michael Brierley for his amazing work behind the lens in the full length feature film 'City of Life'", added Fidvi. "His framing is poetic and the camera movement is elegant and subtle. Matt Faddy composed the haunting piece of music that creates the mood for the film and is sure to leave a lasting impression on viewers."
"Give" is showing throughout Ramadan on Dubai TV between 22:00–23:00 and on Sama Dubai between 19:25–20:00 and 22:00–23:00 and is also available for viewing on: www.dib.ae, as well as on Dubai Islamic Bank's official YouTube account.
