This animated film, titled Majd and The Librarian, comes from agency Serviceplan Middle East for Al Etihad Credit Bureau (AECB). The unique campaign uses the metaphor of borrowing books from a library for applying to a bank for credit. This is Serviceplan Middle East’s first brand film for the Dubai, UAE-headquartered AECB, and was made for the web as a content piece to raise awareness about the brand using a subtly communicated narrative about the responsibility of borrowing.
Majd and The Librarian tells the story of a young boy borrowing a book from his local library and forgetting to return it, only to rediscover the book many years later. The opening sequence features a young man finding a dust-covered copy of “The Arabian Nights” in a box while clearing out his attic, which takes him back in time to the library where he borrowed it as a child, reminding him of the kind librarian who had encouraged him to take an interest in reading.
The lad, now an adult, returns to the library where the male librarian has been replaced by a young woman, who opens a locker to reveal a pile of books and a note left to the boy by the old man with the message: “Every word kept. Counts.” No dialogue is necessary in this touching animation, which sensitively and simply recounts the story as an allegory for borrowing something and keeping your word to return or pay it back.
The film was directed by Esfandiar Haji and Shahriar Ghatre of Hanzo Films, with animation by Vulturehead studio.
CreditsClient Al Etihad Credit Bureau Agency Serviceplan Middle East Natalie Shardan, managing director; Frances Valerie Bonifacio, head of strategy; Akhilesh Bagri, executive creative director; Akhilesh Bagri, Georgia Fattoracci, writers; Andre Couto, Saleh Elghatit, creative directors; Kenneth Barnes, Kunal Gagwani, art directors. Serviceplan Group Jason Romeyko, worldwide executive creative director. Production Company Hanzo Films Esfandiar Haji, Shahriar Ghatre, directors; Hijaz Moosa, exec producer. Animation Vulturehead Animation Studio, Istanbul, Turkey Elahe Khalili, production manager; Reyhane Mirhashemi, Hadi Tabas, Babak Arjmand, Niloofar Behbud, Ali Honarpour, Esfandiar Haji, Yasaman Hossein, character animators; Naim Vahidian, Esfandiar Haji, shadow & lighting animators. (Toolbox: Toonboom Harmony) Music Saman Auboutaleb, composer.
NHS England, M&C Saatchi UK, Director Tom Tagholm Team On PSA Highlighting The Overlooked Signs Of A Stroke
National Health Service (NHS) England has unveiled a multichannel campaign, “Act FAST,” to raise awareness of the individual signs of a stroke and get people to call 999 as soon as they suspect they may be experiencing any one symptom. The push, which is part of the ongoing “Help Us, Help You” campaign, was developed in partnership with M&C Saatchi UK.
The campaign depicts everyday situations where everything might seem relatively normal, but where there’s the sign of someone experiencing a stroke.
A key component of the campaign is this :30--directed by Tom Tagholm of Various Films--which sets up the idea that initially, a stroke might not seem like much, highlighting key symptoms: from struggling to use a paint roller, to not being able to smile when watching TV, to slurring your speech when reading a story to your grandchild. The PSA emphasizes that time is critical, ending with the line: “Face or arm or speech, at the first sign, it’s time to call 999.”
Jo Bacon, Group CEO, M&C Saatchi UK, said, “We want to ensure people take action on the first symptom, rather than waiting for more conclusive signs. To help them understand that even when everything seems normal, something serious might be happening.”
Matt Lee, executive creative director, M&C Saatchi UK, commented: “This is important work. We wanted to explore that precise moment when your world shifts, quietly yet powerfully, off its axis during a stroke. We highlight how a tiny external moment can actually be seismic—an extraordinary gear change, framed in a really ordinary way.”
Director Tagholm shared, “My Dad suffered a stroke a few years ago and was saved from the worst by acting quickly, and by the work of the NHS. So there’s... Read More