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We hear (and write) a lot about the lack of talent in all aspects of the regional advertising and marketing industry – and creative directors are often the most scathing in their remarks about the Middle East’s standards.

So when Leaders in Dubai announced that they’d set up the “Innovation Challenge” for students from the Visual Communications Department at the American University in Dubai (AUD) to produce an ad for the upcoming Management Innovation Forum in Dubai, we were, perhaps unfairly, expecting something pretty uninspiring from the winners.

What we got was a jerkily animated, cheap-looking, plink-plonk-guitar-accompanied, playful 30-second claymation TVC that is the antithesis of “slick.”

We love it. Seriously.

There are several reasons why: The simple, catchy acoustic guitar soundtrack, for one. It’s a pleasant and welcome change from the overwrought caterwauling of most ad music we hear and is a perfect match for the feel of the ad as a whole. Although from what we know of the typical management forum audience, Phil Collins’s “Sussudio” would probably be considered cutting-edge, so possibly they’re alienating the target demographic.

For two: There’s actually a story involved. Two hapless lackeys (identified by their blue ties) have to get to the innovation forum. Trouble is, they’re stuck on the wrong side of a particularly turbulent clay sea with no obvious way of getting across. Luckily, our hero, the manager (orange tie), is on hand to save the day, armed only with his briefcase – which becomes, at various points in the ad: A stick with which to shift a boulder (which they fashion into a boat), an oar to row the boat, a plank to slide down (which the manager does very coolly, showing he’s not a faceless suit despite being faceless) and, finally, the letter “i” in “innovate.”

Presumably this guy is supposed to be speaking at the forum, rather than just attending it. Having sorted out everyone’s problems, he strides through the conference door as the lackeys unravel the forum’s banner – complete with sponsors – before following him.

The whole TVC has a childlike quality to it, from the clunky, stop-motion animation to the amateurish clay models. But not only does the story tie-in to the client’s central theme of innovation, the production does as well. This ad was clearly put together quickly and economically, utilizing the team’s strengths to the fullest to realize a simple (though unusual) idea in an unexpected way. All of which will probably be promoted through far less interesting means at the actual forum as crucial factors in innovative management.

The ad is currently running on satellite television and we’d imagine that for most viewers it will be a welcome breath of fresh air in what is predominantly a tedious pool of generic crap. It’s instantly memorable, relevant to the product and, we’d bet – well, not bet bet – offers a healthy return on investment for Leaders in Dubai.

For the record, the winning team – Team Bingo – consisted of Alex Cordier, Kaveh Kashani, Golnar Mohsenzadeh, Al Zahra Suleiman, and Sami Al Turki. Somebody give these guys a job.

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