In my mind there could not be a bigger contrast in how the British Band's 1987 tune Wonderful Life – a song that gets inside you, there's not doubting that – has been used in television advertising here.
The mood set by the run of posh spots for Emirates Airlines earlier this year is a far cry from the dingy feel of the recent adverts for Zain, the Middle East telecom, that have been airing on MBC4. Instead of lavish beach front spreads and scuba diving – the Emirates life – Zain's commercials feature dark rooms, bare light bulbs, spare furniture but mostly rubble, lots of rubble and bombed-out buildings, while various children sing in heavily accented English.
It's very "5-star lifestyle" versus "hope amid the squalor". My knowledge of advertising is very shallow; I would love to know if it was reactive in some way.
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1 comment:
Glad someone else thought it was wierd!
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