Africa and the Middle East have the highest growth worldwide of gamers but are completely absent in the games when it comes to representation. None of the video games offer a variety of skins that represents the regions.
To be able to promote the cultural as well as traditional garments from these regions in video games, telecommunications company Orange and Paris-headquartered advertising agency Publicis Conseil launched Cultural Avatars #MaxYourIdentity. The goal of this campaign is to have the gamers feel represented in their own skins from their various regions. Therefore, they can proudly wear their traditional outfits from Africa and the Middle East in games such as The Witcher and Minecraft. This marks an important symbol for these gamers who are attached to their roots.
To be able to grow the potential of young talents, Orange decided to partner with three young designers from different countries in Africa and the Middle East. Yasmine El Tazi designed the Middle East and northern African costumes, Ibrahim Fernandez worked on the sub-Saharan region, and Marie-Laure Jaomatana worked on Madagascar. They poured their vision, artistic touch as well as respecting the traditional clothing to fit into the world of video games. These outfits that they created helped contribute to the creation of the various shades of skins.
The different outfits as well as skins were revealed to the public during the final E-sport competition organized by Orange in Abidjan last month. This competition is regional and was created to bring out young gaming talents in that region. At the same time participants were able to discover the traditional outfits worn by models from these regions.
This case study film sheds light on the initiative and its importance.
CreditsClient Orange Middle East & Africa Agency Publicis Conseil Marco Venturelli, CEO/chief creative officer; Romulus Petcan, creative director/copywriter; Gabriel Gherca, creative director/art driector; Morgan Carrio, copywriter; Edgar Heusch, art director; Lois Loiolino, assistant art director; Clement Salgado, motion designer; Olivier Verdy, 3D grahpic designer. Production Skin Production Style/Design Yasmine El Tazi (Egypt), Ibrahim Fernandez (Ivory Coast), Marie-Laure Jaomatana (Madagascar), stylists/designers.
Director Gia Coppola Teams With Mejuri For “A New York Minute”; 1st Episode Takes Us To The Grocery Store
Mejuri, known for turning fine jewelry into an everyday luxury, has partnered with director Gia Coppola (The Last Show Girl, Palo Alto) and The Directors Bureau in Los Angeles, for the first time reimagining the brand’s story as episodic content. In a series of microfilms, co-created by Coppola and premiering following New York Fashion Week, Mejuri eschewed a typical celebrity campaign and cast us as voyeurs to a group of aspiring young women--real people, not actors--at the crossroads of their adult lives against the backdrop of New York City.
Titled “A New York Minute,” the series features five real-life friends, who include one perfectly imperfect heroine named Emma. The women celebrate ordinary moments and interactions which reveal, sometimes retrospectively, the extraordinary within the mundane. Adjacent to the brand’s own community, the 30-something year old cast includes Laura Love (Emma), Rebecca Ressler, Natalie Vall-Freed and Rozzi Crane. Mejuri’s jewelry makes an appearance as the best supporting actor.
“When I met with Gia and The Directors Bureau team, there was instant creative and personal chemistry and a natural alignment on the desire to push and blur the lines between marketing, storytelling, and the construct of what a ‘campaign’ could be,” said Jacob Jordan, chief brand officer, Mejuri. “Gia was able to push that idea into something that truly feels new and artful, with a realism and relatability that almost feels jarring. Gia was such a perfect collaborator and partner, someone I had complete trust in to be a catalyst for Mejuri’s values of celebrating women as their truest selves. I can’t wait for us to continue to tell the next chapters of this story.”
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