MENA's playful creativity: The secret to global branding success

Campaign ME

17-04-2025

The brand building playbook for MENA's most ambitious brands and marketeers has profoundly changed.
In part this is down to the emerging and in some cases established creative forces in the region that have merged authentic local culture to global culture through a digital and social-first ecosystem in which ideas, trends, fashions and ideas can be amplified at speed and transcend borders.
Look beyond the established international giants like Etihad and Emirates, and you'll see a new wave of brands with credibility and resonance on the global stage. Sarah Hamouda and Yezen Alani are making waves in the chocolate world with their FIX chocolate bar, Mona and Huda Kattan are taking over the world of beauty and Nusr-Et are elevating steakhouses internationally.
But the real secret sauce to much of this is found in the power of embracing playfulness.
Playfulness, humour, wit – these are the language of meaningful connection, empathy and love. For brands who want to hook into the hearts and heads of audiences at a deeper level, playfulness has a profound effect.
I've worked in the region for over a decade and through that time there were some moments where brands used playfulness and humour to connect. Qatar Airways' in-flight safety films being a good example. But often, many brands could appear beautiful but somewhat earnest on the global stage.
But the data for playful creativity is clear.
Oracle interviewed 12,000 consumers across the world for The Happiness Report and a staggering 96 per cent said they preferred brands to be funny and 83% would follow a brand if it's funny on social. But what about marketers? That's where the smile fades. Globally, marketers admit that only 14 per cent of their brand' offline ads and 16 per cent of their online ads actively use humour, and only 9 per cent said their brand is humorous on social.
And for the small percent of marketers who are embracing a greater sense of playfulness, wit and humour is driving growth and results. Saudi travel company Almosafer has dropped a series of laugh-out-loud commercials and is enjoying a 40 per cent increase in domestic flight bookings and room bookings.
English language app Cambly has made a name for itself globally and in the Middle East by leaning into the comedy of linguistic misunderstanding, triggering an additional 60 million dollars of investment.
So what's going on? While the agencies and creative partners must be applauded for their work, one thing that should not be ignored – and that is that the brand and marketing teams themselves are pushing beyond their comfort zone.
Being able to play with ideas, push things a little more – this opens up new possibilities. It breaks new ground and often reveals a humanity and level of insight that captures a far more engaging narrative with the audience.
Building brands is a serious business. And whether it's Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Doha – the ambition and intent to grow serious players on the global stage is as profound as anywhere on earth. The good news for the ambition is that those that are putting playful creativity at the heart are leading the charge.
Remember the old saying…if they're not smiling, they're not buying.
By Stephen Corlett, CEO of 180 Amsterdam