Latest news with #JoeLipscombe
Campaign ME
28-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Campaign ME
Private View by The Romans' Joe Lipscombe
Campaign Middle East features a Private View section with a range of insights and viewpoints from industry experts, revealing the intricate world of marketing and advertising campaigns. This month's review is by Joe Lipscombe, Partner – MENA at The Romans. The LEGO Group: Build It With Him Love the concept, wish the creative upheld it. I've read the extensive background – the endless research and data mining done to land on this insight, but I can't see it in the final product. The notion of 'don't buy, build' is nice. But it's promoting LEGO, which you buy. The art direction is classy, but the creative hasn't truly captured the heart of the insight. I'm also not sure that brown wallets, slippers, grey mugs and power drills really reflect the modern dad – but maybe I'm projecting. Dubizzle: Everyone Is On dubizzle Another strong concept, with a tame execution. I like the core idea; I would have preferred a more ambitious creative execution. It feels like it does the job in terms of message penetration. I wouldn't be sharing or re-running the spots, though. NYX Professional Makeup: The Face Glue A bit absurd, finally. The story behind this strongly reiterates the impact of pasting ads across metro stations and on bridges over SZR. I can't argue with that, but there's little mention of the creative direction. That said, not many brands strike a culture chord in Dubai, and despite not being the audience, I respect that they've achieved that with this partnership. It's absurd and we need more of that. But given the physical coverage, I'd have loved more from the creative direction. Himalaya: We Know Pimples Feels like the brief, not the solution. The central concept of we don't get you, but we get spots is interesting. But simply putting your audience in their natural habitat and calling it relevance isn't enough. We need some proper depth, not another actor with a headset and controller. I think it misses the mark. L'Oréal Paris: Sit Al Bait Powerful, if not a bit unoriginal. Three of the young Arab women at The Romans watched this and agreed that, though the film gets them pumped up and it's strikingly shot (which it is), there isn't enough negative sentiment behind the original phrase to make it truly meaningful. In fact, they felt that both 'Sit Bait' and 'Sit Al Bait', over time, have come to mean the same thing. From my perspective, we have seen so many campaigns hinge on the changing of Arabic letters to alter meaning, that the vehicle has lost all potency. By Joe Lipscombe, Partner – MENA at The Romans
Campaign ME
28-03-2025
- Business
- Campaign ME
Binance brings crypto to the backgammon board this Ramadan
This Ramadan, Binance MENA has launched a campaign in an effort to educate individuals over the age of 50 on non-traditional financial investments. With global studies suggesting a mere eight per cent of crypto investments are made by people over the age of 55, Binance found that the generation gap remains a big challenge for the future of decentralised finance. To tackle this, the crypto investment platform, with the support of their MENAP agency The Romans, launched Binance, Boomers, and Backgammon — a Ramadan campaign that reimagines how crypto education should work. Stripping away the jargon that often alienates older generations, Binance took the conversation to a setting where strategy, risk, and opportunity have been debated for centuries — the backgammon table — creating a space for organic, culturally relevant discussions about digital finance. 'Crypto is often seen as a young person's game. One that's volatile, risky, and technically complex. It's not easy to directly engage older audiences in a discussion like this,' said Joe Lipscombe, Partner at The Romans. By aligning the centuries-old game with crypto strategy, Binance was able to create a unique place setting for a warm-hearted, humourous film that plays on the juxtaposition between tradition and innovation. The campaign sees Sami Khojali, Growth and Operations Associate at Binance, tasked with pitching crypto as a viable investment opportunity, while attempting to keep pace with some of the country's most celebrated senior backgammon players. To amplify the initiative further, Binance gifted beautifully-crafted, branded backgammon boards to media and creators during a bespoke iftar at XVA in the Al Fahidi District in Dubai. They then engaged in a number of Binance vs Media backgammon match-ups to celebrate the tradition of the game and the occasion of Ramadan. Commenting on the campaign, Bana Khalaf, PR & Comms MENAP at Binance said: 'Crypto doesn't have to be intimidating or overly technical — it's about finding the right way to start the conversation. For us, that meant meeting people where they already are: at the backgammon table, during Ramadan, surrounded by family and friends. This campaign isn't about pushing crypto on anyone; it's about making it relatable, approachable, and even fun. If we can get people talking about crypto over a game of backgammon, we've already won.' The film, under the stewardship of creative director Adham Abdullah, was produced by Dubai-based Liwa.
