FP7 McCann MENAT

Client: City Centre
Product: City Centre Almaza
Title: Don't go to City Centre
Media: Film
Country: Egypt
Date Of Campaign: December 12, 2019

Background: Cairo’s a huge, sprawling city, but inside that chaos, we’re a very tight-knit society, and our favorite hang-outs are neighborhood spots where the patrons are all regulars and more like family. Malls however are the exception to this rule, and going to the mall is now an activity that can - and often does - take up the whole day. Each new mall that pops up is further away and larger than the one before. Forget bumping into anyone else there, you’ll lose yourself if you’re not careful.City Centre Almaza however bucked this trend. Instead of setting up shop in a satellite city, it’s smack dab in the middle of one of Cairo’s busiest, most densely populated districts. It’s big enough to house everything you’d need in a mall, but still compact and cozy - the opposite of the overwhelming mall experience that we’ve come to consider as normal.

Idea: Don’t go to City Centre Almaza if you don’t want to be seen. Everyone’s there.There's freedom in anonymity; the freedom to do whatever you want free from repercussions. Our campaign plays on this idea, each film showing a situation where the person thinks they’ll get off scott-free... but don’t.--Film 1: GymThere’s a certain freedom in anonymity; the freedom for example to be a jerk, safe in the knowledge that you’ll never see the person on the receiving end of your tantrum again. But what happens the day after such an encounter… when you walk into your favourite place, and find a not-so-friendly face? Our film tells one such tale. A pretentious, entitled twit goes to the City Centre Almaza gym only to find the tallest, bulkiest guy in the room staring daggers at him. Turns out the bouncer he majorly pissed off the night before is the gym’s star member… and he’s not a forgiving kind of guy. Being friends with the club owner won’t be of much help now.Moral of the story: Don’t go to City Centre Almaza if you don’t want to be seen. Everyone’s there.A pretentious, entitled twit goes to the City Centre Almaza gym only to find the tallest, bulkiest guy in the room staring daggers at him. Turns out the bouncer he majorly pissed off the night before is the gym’s star member… and he’s not a forgiving kind of guy. Being friends with the club owner won’t be of much help now.Moral of the story: Don’t go to City Centre Almaza if you don’t want to be seen. Everyone’s there.Film 2: ArcadeThere’s a certain freedom in anonymity; the freedom for example to skip school and go to the arcade, safe in the knowledge that no-one you know will see you, or be any the wiser. But what happens when you’re killing it in your game, only to find that your dad’s chilling at the arcade too? But, wait, why is the dad turning a blind eye to this? Turns out he’s skipping dinner with the in-laws under false pretenses too. He won’t be snitching on his son… they’re in this together. But just when they thought they were both safe, a middle-aged woman flags them down, with the widest smile on her face. It’s mum’s best friend… and the group’s biggest gossip. Busted. Moral of the story: Don’t go to City Centre Almaza if you don’t want to be seen. Everyone’s there.Film 3: Fitting RoomThere’s a certain freedom in anonymity; the freedom for example to skip work and go swimsuit shopping which is really for the greater good. Swimsuits mean beach holidays, and holidays mean happy employees. And if what it takes to convince your boss of that is to tell him your dad’s in the ICU, then so be it. He’s stuck in a full-day meeting anyway; what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. But what about your boss’ boss? What if he’s swimsuit shopping too?Our film tells the sad tale of this busted lie. What starts as a rather dramatic, but ultimately white lie, ends with a showdown in the fitting room between an MD and a junior. Two men, yelling at each other, dressed in blazers up top, and watermelon-print swimming trunks down below. Moral of the story: Don’t go to City Centre Almaza if you don’t want to be seen. Everyone’s there.

Results: The campaign has successfully made its way to the eyes and hearts of millions of Egyptians, and hence helped achieve the desired awareness and traffic to the newly-open mall.