Here's Campaign Middle East's ‘Work' picks from April
These are the picks from April – featuring work from VISA, Bridgestone MEA, IKEA Al-Futtaim, adidas Originals and Yas Island.
VISA – Walla Visa?
Tapping into a commonly used phrase amongst Egyptian merchants, 'cash walla Visa?' the global payments brand collaborated with Saatchi & Saatchi MEA and Good People to give small businesses in Egypt the tools to promote themselves on a larger scale. The brand installed AI voice-activated devices in partner stores to catch every real-life mention of the word 'Visa' during customer chats. Mentions of the brand gave participating stores free media buys on social platforms such as TikTok and Instagram.
Bridgestone MEA – Lap of Love
This regional campaign seeks to transform how parents approach child safety in cars. Insights revealed that many parents believe that holding a child in their lap is as safe as using a child car seat. The Bridgestone MEA film emphasises that it's not. As part of the campaign's larger initiative, the tyre company has offered valuable insights on safety protocols and practical advice that can help create a safer and more informed environment. Rolled out in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Morocco, the campaign aligns with Bridgestone's E8 Commitment, which particularly emphasises emotional and empowerment. The brand collaborated with Brand New Galaxy MEA for creative and Orient Planet Group for PR to develop the campaign.
IKEA Al-Futtaim – Supporting First Steps
Aimed at capturing the everyday moments that shape early childhood development, this campaign is part of IKEA's ongoing regional brand narrative, which celebrates real-life family moments. Rooted in the insight that many toddlers take their first steps by using nearby furniture for balance, the campaign was designed to highlight how IKEA is present in everyday life, in moments that truly matter. IKEA furniture is consistently pictured as a backdrop to meaningful moments in various households. With visuals photographed by Ale Burset, the campaign has been rolled out across out-of-home, print, digital, and social media platforms in the Middle East. The campaign was developed in collaboration with INGO Hamburg.
adidas Originals – The Loomhood Collection
To introduce its limited-edition collection, adidas Originals launched an experiential and digital campaign, which captures how two of the brand's most beloved sneakers – the Samba OG and Handball Spezial – have been reimagined to blend craftsmanship with cultural heritage. The campaign highlights artisans who have shaped communities in Dubai, Riyadh and Cairo through their craft. Each pair of sneakers showcases the neighbourhoods' names and the precise coordinates of the artisans' stores, and three types of laces have been created, inspired by traditional crafts in the UAE, KSA and Egypt. Dream Girls Tailor in Dubai, a 40-year-old shop, plays an instrumental part in the campaign. The brand collaborated with AKQA for creative and Red Havas for PR to develop the work.
Yas Island – Zindagi Ko Yas Bol
Yas Island brought to life a series of episodic ads reuniting Bollywood superstars Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar and Abhay Deol – the trio loved for their roles in the 2011 Bollywood film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, which inspired a generation of consumers to travel. Capturing the spirit of adventure, friendship and living life to the fullest, and identifying a decade-long sentiment for a sequel, Yas Island brought the Bollywood trio together for the first time in 14 years against the backdrop of the unforgettable experiences that Yas Island offers. The campaign instantly became a cultural phenomenon, igniting conversations, organic shares, and widespread fan enthusiasm, raking in 1.5 billion views on social media. Momentum and Initiative were creative collaborators for the work, with production done by Dejavu and PR by Weber Shandwick.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Zawya
an hour ago
- Zawya
Faraday Future launches 'EAI + Crypto' dual-flywheel & dual-bridge ecosystem
Dubai, United Arab Emirates – Faraday Future Intelligent Electric Inc, a California-based global shared intelligent electric mobility ecosystem company, has officially launched its 'EAI + Crypto' Dual-Flywheel & Dual-Bridge Ecosystem Strategy — marking the beginning of a new chapter in AI mobility and Web3 integration. This initiative integrates Embodied AI (EAI) with the explosive growth of the crypto asset economy to create a two-way, independently operating circular growth engine between Web2 and Web3, positioning FF at the forefront of the next era in global industrial and financial evolution. A new growth paradigm Faraday Future believes that AI represents the next great leap in productivity, while Crypto and Web3 signify a revolution in the relations of production. Together, these forces offer a once-in-decades opportunity for transformation — a meta-chemistry that FF aims to drive through its newly launched strategy. 'The next decade could be a super long bull cycle for the crypto market,' said Ian Calderon, FF Co-Creation Officer and Founding Board Member of the California Blockchain Working Group. 'FF is building a dual-engine circular growth system — combining the long-cycle, high-value EAI EV ecosystem with the short-cycle, high-velocity Crypto ecosystem. These two flywheels will empower each other, redefining what's possible in mobility and financial innovation.' Building the bridge between Web2 and Web3 FF's Dual-Bridge Strategy positions the Company as one of the first U.S.-listed public companies directly connecting real-world business operations with on-chain assets. Plans are underway to launch the EAI Vehicle Chain, enabling tokenized vehicle sales, crypto-based deposits, and Web3-native user engagement — while leveraging blockchain technology to create a decentralized and transparent mobility economy. 'The Dual-Flywheel & Dual-Bridge Strategy reflects our deep insights into the future of the global economy,' said YT Jia, Founder & Co-CEO of Faraday Future. 'FF is not just transitioning into a Web3 era — we are architecting it. This is how we deliver exponential value creation for our stockholders.' A new crypto infrastructure for capital markets FF also officially announced the C10 Index, a market-cap-weighted basket of the world's top 10 crypto assets (excluding stablecoins), calculated from midnight Pacific Time on August 16, 2025, with a base value of 1,000. The Index will be tracked in real-time on and the FF App. Accompanying the Index, the FFAI C10 Treasury is being launched — targeting $500M to $1B in initial crypto asset purchases, with a dedicated $30M funding round completed or nearly complete. Assets will be allocated using an 80% passive, 20% active strategy. The treasury is designed to provide sustainable returns, with staking yields estimated at 3%–5%, creating stable income that can fund product innovation, stock buybacks, and further asset growth. FF is also preparing to apply for a C10 ETF license, aiming to expand public access to the value potential of this portfolio. The Crypto Flywheel strategy — operated through a wholly owned and independently managed subsidiary, FFAI Crypto Treasury and Bridging Holdings Inc. — is expected to dramatically enhance FF's income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow. With on-chain assets serving as both reserves and flexible capital, the strategy enables FF to generate stable income through staking, reduce reliance on high-cost financing, and improve net asset value and structure. It aims to accelerate product development and market expansion through a 1/3–1/3–1/3 profit reinvestment model. FF's crypto and EV businesses are operated under separate legal and financial structures to ensure risk isolation, operational independence, and asset transparency. Digital assets will be held by third-party custodians and will be fully verifiable on-chain. The structure is designed to allow strategic synergies without cross-subsidization, ensuring both lines of business can flourish independently — while reinforcing each other. With this launch, Faraday Future offers investors access to potential dual benefits from the AI mobility and crypto asset markets. This revolutionary move supports the Company's long-standing commitment to maximize stockholder value in a future-forward and sustainable manner. *Source: AETOSWire
Khaleej Times
an hour ago
- Khaleej Times
Databricks eyes over $100 billion valuation as investors back AI growth plans
Analytics firm Databricks said on Tuesday its valuation was set to jump 61% to more than $100 billion in a funding round less than a year after its last, underscoring strong investor demand for artificial intelligence startups. The San Francisco, California-based company — with 15,000 customers, including payments firm Block, energy giant Shell and electric-vehicle maker Rivian — said it has signed a term sheet for a Series K round, but did not disclose the amount it was raising. Late last year, Databricks had raised $10 billion in one of the largest venture capital funding rounds in history, which valued it at $62 billion. The company expects to use a portion of the latest funds in product development and for mergers and acquisitions in the AI segment, as corporations and governments worldwide rush to leverage efficiencies from the nascent but rapidly evolving technology. "Databricks is benefiting from an unprecedented global demand for AI apps and agents, turning companies' data into goldmines. We're thrilled this round is already over-subscribed," said Ali Ghodsi, co-founder and CEO. Startups are choosing to stay private for longer amid higher interest rates and unpredictable market appetite for initial public offerings over the past few years. Capital is also available for larger late-stage rounds as private market investors sit on record levels of dry powder. OpenAI is also in talks to close an employee share sale, which would value the ChatGPT parent at around $500 billion, Reuters had reported earlier this month.
Khaleej Times
2 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
SoftBank's growing bets on AI and semiconductor assets
SoftBank announced on Tuesday a $2 billion investment in Intel that will add to the Japanese tech investor's ambitious bet on artificial intelligence and the chip industry. Below are major AI investments SoftBank has announced so far: INTEL On August 18, SoftBank announced a $2 billion equity investment in Intel, saying the deal reflected its belief that chip manufacturing and supply would expand further in the U.S., and the U.S. company would play a critical role. STARGATE Stargate is a joint venture between SoftBank, ChatGPT's creator OpenAI, and Oracle. U.S. President Donald Trump announced the project in January, saying that the companies would invest up to $500 billion. On August 7, SoftBank CFO Yoshimitsu Goto said the project, for which SoftBank is leading financing, had been delayed by longer than expected negotiations with other parties and decisions on sites. Goto said at the time SoftBank remained committed to its target of building $500 billion worth of data centres over four years and the banks involved in the project financing, including Japan's "megabanks" and major U.S. lenders, had shown positive interest in the scheme. SoftBank has yet to release details on what kinds of returns its financing of the Stargate project could generate. The extent of third-party investment will determine what other financing tools, such as bank loans and debt issuance, it may have to deploy. On August 18, Taiwan's Foxconn said that it planned to manufacture data centre equipment with SoftBank at the Taiwanese firm's former electric vehicle factory in Ohio as part of the Stargate project. OPENAI SoftBank is leading a $40 billion funding round for OpenAI. It has until the end of 2025 to fund its $22.5 billion portion, although the remainder has been subscribed, according to a source familiar with the matter. PERPLEXITY AI The three-year-old startup that operates an AI-powered search engine has raised about $1 billion in funding so far from investors including Nvidia and SoftBank. It was last valued at $14 billion. AMPERE COMPUTING SoftBank announced a $6.5 billion deal in March to acquire Ampere Computing, a U.S. chip designer startup founded by the former president of Intel. Ampere makes data centre central processing unit chips based on computing architecture from SoftBank's majority-owned Arm Holdings that are used by firms such as Oracle in their cloud computing infrastructure. GRAPHCORE In 2024, SoftBank bought the British AI chipmaker for an undisclosed sum. Once touted as a rival to Nvidia, Graphcore had struggled to secure the investment needed to compete. ARM HOLDINGS The British chip designer owned by SoftBank went public in 2023, securing a valuation of $54.5 billion. SoftBank still owns the majority of the company. Arm-based devices power nearly every smartphone in the world and server chips based on its intellectual property have made significant inroads in the data centre market. As part of a broad plan to increase its business, Arm has sought to expand beyond supplying crucial chip intellectual property to building its own complete designs. SoftBank had owned around 5% of Nvidia until it sold the stake in 2019, before ChatGPT generated a surge in AI interest at the end of 2022. It has been building up its stake again and held Nvidia shares worth around $4.8 billion as of the end of June this year, according to an SEC filing.
