The first-ever Arab space mission to Mars, launched with the first-ever Arabic countdown, acted as a rallying cry to unite a people, creating new positive connections and binding people of different faiths and beliefs together in a spirit of collaboration. A simple yet effective idea, meant to remind the world of Arabs’ historical contributions to science and illustrate how dynamic the region is again on that front, placed the Arab world back in the spotlight of scientific breakthrough and gave a true meaning of hope for the region, showing that nothing is impossible, not even the dream of space.
Launched with an emotional manifesto film that addresses the pride in every citizen of the Arab world, the campaign included the ‘Lens of Hope’ – a unique countdown, especially-made for Snapchat. The countdown was not only heard around the world, it was seen too. Landmarks around the country heralded this momentous achievement. Some regional and international celebrities helped create the kind of buzz that reached beyond the people who spoke the language, including David Luiz, Jacqueline Fernandez, Gary Vee, Jay Shetty, Muniba Mazari, Ragheb Alama and Ahmad Helmi.
Client: UAE Public Diplomacy Office
Agency: TBWA\RAAD
Creative Direction: Walid Kanaan, Bruno Bomediano
Copywriting: Maian Alken
Art Direction: Sarah Guessoum, Rijin Kunnath, Juliana Arboleda
Design: Rijin Kunnath, Mohammad Alkawas, Juliana Arboleda
