Last year, when we published a survey of advertising in Islamic and Muslim countries, the slideshow was one of our most popular galleries of commercial creativity.
From McDonald's famous golden arches in jarring Arabic script, to a beauty contest in which only women's eyes were shown, we were all fascinated by the way advertisers in strict religious cultures handled — or avoided — the universal themes of sex, wealth and consumption.
Now we've updated our survey of Arabic and Middle Eastern advertising.
The one thing that hasn't changed is the cleverness with which advertisers handle the burdensome rules on their creativity.
Here's a look at several campaigns from big, international brands that have specifically Muslim pitches for their brands. We selected the work from the invaluable Ads of the World web site.
This looks like an ad that might run in the West, except for two details. First, she's a brunette. Blondes almost never appear in ads targeting Muslims. Second, it's an ad for "anti-aging" cream, which would likely be an illegal misleading claim in the U.S. Client: Minus 10 anti-aging cream. Advertising Agency: Gulf Marcom, Manama, Bahrain
There's a stereotype that because many Muslim women cover themselves that this means there is an overall ban on nudity or sexuality in their pop culture. In fact it varies from country to country. Client: Esemmat Insect Killer: Advertising Agency: TBWA, Istanbul, Turkey .
This ad for a Dubai tourist spot is an excellent example of the tightrope that advertisers walk in Islamic countries. If this was a Western resort, she'd be in a bikini. Client: Maydan Beach. Advertising Agency: Gyro, Dubai, UAE.
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