New National Cancer Institute, 500 500, aims towards easing the pain and difficulty of children with cancer in their newest ad, and inspires celebrities to join in without invitation.
In Egypt alone, there are 110 new cases of Lung Cancer in every 1000 people, 49 new cases of Breast Cancer, and 210 new cases of Bladder Cancer. Many children have been affected by the disease, suffering pain and isolation because of it.
The 500 500’s Ramadan ad was apparently prepared with two aims in mind. To increase brand awareness, because donations are still needed, and to provide some of the cancer patients a good and fun time to forget about it all.
https://www.facebook.com/500500egypt/videos/1778101469166742/
The ad was released on June 5th, receiving 527K views and over 5.7K shares on Facebook while the YouTube copy hit more than 400K views.
Inspiring Star Power
A continuing popular trend in Ramadan is the overuse of celebrities in their advertising. Within the 500 500 ad, we can see the trend being used yet again, just as with Vodafone’s annual adverts.
Unlike Vodafone, 500 500’s cause and activity received much more attention from Egyptian celebrities, and celebrities flocked to the production without being asked.
See Also ➤ The overuse of celebrities in Ramadan Ads
Insider reports have provided Think Marketing with the special circumstances for some of the celebrities joining.
Egyptian actor Mohamed Ramadan, who is currently in Military training, personally called and asked the team behind the ad to help him receive a 24-hour release permit to join in on the activities. Fellow actor, Zafer Abdeen, was also interested in participating in the ad.
Abdeen was called by the agency to inquire about participating; the actor, who was shooting for a Ramadan series, finished a late night of filming and rushed to the 500 500 shoot. Egyptian actor, Asser Yassin, was contacted by the director (Tarek El Erian) to take part in the ad which he enthusiastically accepted, and he made the effort to arrange with his shooting schedule, resulting in him finishing an overnight shoot to directly rushing to the ad’s set.
Singer and actress Yousra was also asked to participate, the actress was very excited to join although she had an early flight during the day of shooting. The actress was able to have her own shoot right after dawn, right before her flight.
Retired professional footballer Ahmed Hossam, aka Mido, was invited to join the all-star cast. The current manager of Wadi Degla was so interested in joining that he canceled a scheduled interview in Chelsea, England in order to participate.
Build a cause and they shall come
The classic saying goes “If you build it, they shall come” but in the New National Institute’s cases it would be “Build a cause and they shall come.” And that they did.
This is a great example of how creating something with heart, passion and love can attract and entice people to join a cause, or help in some small way.
Also Read ➤ Ramadan 2017 Campaigns: First Day Recap
It also reminds us that celebrities have their own agendas, their own passions. These celebrities wanted to help, wanted to show their passion and love, wanted to help others forget their pain. The 500 500 ad was a great outlet for these celebrities, and shows us that there is still love at the top.
What do you think of the celebrities pushing their way into the ad without invitation? Let us know in the comments below.
