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The Egyptian culture has always been one that is rich, layered, and timeless. For many years since the mid-2000s, advertising has been leaning towards the usage of westernized narratives that are inspired by western media. Campaigns used foreign models, Western landscapes, and non-traditional scenes. All was in hope to impress with a style that is borrowed. Nowadays, the scenario has shifted.
Today, brands are aiming to rediscover the true impact of authenticity. We’re bored of seeing foreign faces for representation. We’re craving a new direction and this rediscovery is paving the way for all the new doors to be unlocked. Brands are now weaving Arabic and Egyptian classics into campaigns that are rising to resonate more deeply with today’s audiences.
When Our Classics Meet Modernization
Remember those vintage ads that had that Lana Del Rey vibe to them back in the 50s and 60s? Well, it’s not about repeating the past. But in the past, that vibe had the traditional essence of Egypt. Currently, brands are reimagining advertisements. A new taste of Egyptian authenticity is hitting the market and people are loving it. It’s not just about creating an ad that feels like a real part of your culture. It is about indulging your brand in a certain level of authenticity.
For example, in August 2025, Marakez collaborated with Azza Fahmy to launch a much-awaited beach clubhouse that had every bit of authenticity in its design installations. The launch included varied Alexandrian-themed elements like fish on ice straight from the cart and ice cream carts with their authentic Egyptian beach style.
Along with these came the lupin snack, aka “termes,” that we all know and love all too well with paper cones to fill them up with it. Ping-Pong tables were also in the scene with rackets that held words and quotes from known Egyptian classics. All were mixed with a hint of a contemporary beat soundtrack that filled the atmosphere with the right hint of modern and traditional.
The Approach and How Should It Be Done
The approach is simpler than anyone thinks. We Egyptians are not as attracted to western media as we used to be anymore. Their “new to us” is not “new” anymore. It’s repetitive, lacks identity, and is something that our eyes are more than used to. Instead, think more of creating an event with Nubian patterns on the wall. Decorate plates with authentic spice colors like the ones in Aswan. You know how everything Chinese tends to have a dragon or something similar to it?
We need to create the same authenticity but with a new scope. Yes, the pyramids are all glorious, magnificent, and ancient, but the Egyptian culture has more than that. We should change the perspective of how the western world perceives us and prove to them that there is more to Egypt than deserts, camels, and Pyramids.
To start implementing this approach correctly, we ourselves need to feel like we belong in our own thinking first. Before introducing the culture to others, we should start with us. We need to revisit our cinematic masterpieces and start drawing inspiration from there.
Music-based campaigns for example, can start implementing some of Umm Kulthum’s classics and mix them with contemporary beats for a modern cut that appeals to today’s audiences. You’ll find that the result will be a marketing voice that feels both progressive and has a hint of a nostalgia that even Egyptians have been longing for.
The Reason Why We’re Calling For Authenticity
A lot of people miss it. That unique Egyptian identity that never had any other competitor. We miss relating to ads. Audiences wish to see themselves in the brand’s dialect. They miss the humor, the traditions, and that display of the country. Your target audience crave to see themselves mirrored in your brand.
They want the interaction with your brand to be as authentic as it gets. Authenticity here offers more than identity. It offers comfort, pride, and a sense of belonging to a certain name or product and to the culture in general. For marketers, this is more than a strategy; it is a path towards cultural relativity and brand identity.
The Tools for Cultural Revival
If you would like to know how brands can blend identity with innovation, here are some tips from our own marketing/branding playbook:
- Language Revival: Start with embracing the Egyptian Arabic language. Enough with the English, enough with the many quotes that have an equivalent (a better one) in Egyptian. Use that. Our witty slang mixed with movie puns or memes would be your new marketing water well that never gets too dry to dig.
- Visual Storytelling: Iconic Egyptian street scenes, architecture with that beautiful Islamic pattern, or even the never-too-old Pharaonic pattern or art motifs.
- Music Fusion: Infuse classic tracks with a bit of creative reimagination. A modern arrangement of Omar Khairat’s beautiful pieces mixed with Abdelwahab’s known tunes would create the perfect bridge between the past, the present, and even the future. An emotional bridge you’ll be thanked for.
- Fashion and Design: Now in any event, there are dress codes. How about adding a theme to those as well? How about including Egyptian fashion statements in our advertisements? That “Falahy” look that no one else has in their culture? Reintroduce the traditional fabric beauty with a chic and contemporary modern edge to it.
In Conclusion
This whole change goes way beyond the definitions of promotion. This is a call to reawaken national pride and approach consumers with a new way of heritage connection. For young Egyptians, this is a demonstration of how they can perceive our history and hold on to their roots without losing that touch of global trend or modernization.
There is beauty in that specific direction and it’s all about the word “balance.” It’s all in how we balance the way we honor our identity while having enough gumption to innovate and mix the past with the present and with that vision for the future as well.
