This article was originally posted here by Campaign Middle East.

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Valentine’s Day might be the most romantic day of the year, but for the heartbroken and this year, Panadol Extra stepped up once again – not with pain relief for headaches, but for heartbreak, turning brutal breakup texts into hilarious songs.

In partnership with VML Dubai, the brand tapped into the modern breakup trend: ending relationships over text. With humour at its core, the campaign transformed ridiculous breakup messages into kitschy music videos to be shared across social media.

The campaign kicked off with teasers on Instagram and YouTube, inviting people to share their worst breakup texts. Three of the most ridiculous messages were transformed into songs—complete with weird, kitsch music videos.

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“This campaign proves that good content can resonate, no matter the brand or industry. We tapped into the viral trend of turning digital comments into music—to highlight just how bad people are at handling love and communication,” said, Marcelo Zylberberg, ACD at VML Dubai.

Show breakups that make no sense, the videos end with the phrase: “heartache is one ache we are still confused about”, implying that for every other ache, Panadol Extra is the one to go for.

“They say ‘one day you’ll laugh about this’—because laughter is the best medicine. We’re just speeding up the process, so people can actually enjoy Valentine’s Day,” added, Fernando Miranda, ECD at VML Dubai.

Building emotional connections

The Panadol Valentine’s Day campaign builds on the brand’s broader brand positioning as a pain relief expert—one that isn’t afraid to acknowledge its limits. Unlike other healthcare brands that take a purely functional approach, Panadol aims to emotionally connect with consumers by tapping into the everyday struggles of modern life—including heartbreak.

This isn’t the brand’s first foray into emotional pain. Last year, Panadol encouraged the heartbroken to “just ignore Valentine’s altogether.” This year, they took things up a notch by addressing toxic breakup culture head-on.

“Last year, we took a bold stance by admitting we can’t fix all kinds of pain, and the response was overwhelming. This year, we’re keeping that energy—tapping into new behaviours and trends,” Areej Yacoub, Marketing Manager at Haleon.

The brand’s goal is to reinforce Panadol Extra’s role in alleviating pain, while also differentiating it within the highly competitive pain relief market. Rather than focusing on traditional product benefits, the brand uses cultural relevance and humour to engage audiences in an authentic way.

“Panadol Extra is part of a very functional market, but still manages to be part of people’s lives in a very organic and human way. That’s a differential for our brand that we believe should be reflected on how we communicate,” Ahmed El Gohary, Regional Brand Manager at Haleon.

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Credits:

Agency: VML Dubai
Chief Creative Officer, Dubai: Aricio Fortes
Executive Creative Director, Dubai: Fernando Miranda
Creative Group Head: Louis Moghabghab
Associate Creative Director: Fabio Caveira
Associate Creative Director: Marcelo Zylberberg
Senior Art Director: Balu Puthalath
Copywriter: Zuhair Rahman
Motion Graphics: Simon Menpin
Account Director: Lara Medanat
Senior Account Manager: Amal Salha
Senior Producer: Karim Al Chamaa

Client: Haleon
Brand: Panadol Extra
Marketing Manager: Areej Yacoub
Regional Brand Manager: Ahmed El Gohary

Production House: WHAT IF Creative Studio
Director: Nasrallah Saad
Executive Producer: Hugo Narciso
Producer: Mely Urresti

This article was originally posted here by Communicate.

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Nasrallah Saad, Executive Producer at WHAT IF Creative Studio, goes a little futuristic when it comes to AI: “Under the assumption that AI describes the advent of new coding platforms that simulate human capabilities in a faster and more coherent and learned way, it has been an eye opener.” He even asserts clearly, “what belonged in the realm of science fiction was now a reality at our fingertips.

Saad is an early adopter of the technology. He admits that as a team, they “dabbled with AI since its infancy, appreciating the leaps it continues to take daily.” What If seems to have “boosted (their) computing capabilities to be able to have smooth and fast turnarounds.” Yet, being human, he capitulated that “testing takes time, and we have grown impatient as humans.” Still, the story continues: “we started testing its limits creatively to be able to integrate the results somehow into our business workflow and offer solutions to our clients. We tried several platforms and tested combinations to achieve an acceptable result.” Thankfully, the journey has been nothing but “fun and exciting.“

Approaching the clients, however, was a whole different game. It seems that for What If Creative Studios, “at the start, we did approach our clients with AI solutions, and the excitement was palpable, but we quickly learned that the randomness of the results was not a risk the clients were willing to take.” Yet it seems that everyone in the creative field quickly caught up to the game. According to Saad, “Creative and marketing agencies quickly started using it themselves to generate imagery in pitches, post houses to generate backgrounds, etc. Graphic designers had a bigger toolset at hand. In parallel, AI became readily available to everyone. Dead musicians came back to life.” Funnily enough, what started as a craze soon lost its shine, and now, still according to him, “AI applications quickly lost their awe, becoming mainstream. Now it was a matter of how to use it without people noticing it was generated by AI.”

When it comes to how the job market is reacting to AI, Saad thinks that “like all toolsets that came before it, we will see a new generation of users emerge with a different skillset. We adapt. We work around.“ He is, however, ominous and warns of the time “when machines awaken and discover they don’t need humans to run the world. And it is coming sooner than later.” Funnily, for someone well-versed in technology, Saad jokes “I have a saying: the more technology advances, the more it takes time for me to figure it out. I used to turn the car ignition with a key. Now I have to look for all the buttons to press.”

This article was originally posted here by Communicate.

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Hugo Narciso, Managing Partner at WHAT IF Creative Studio, truly goes back to the heart of the issue because, for him, AI, “in simple terms, Artificial Intelligence is the apparent intelligence created artificially. For me, in today’s world, it’s a way to use computing power to automate large human problems.

Narciso, also chops things back to their origin: “we all have been using AI for many years, even without noticing it. Machine learning algorithms are ubiquitous to our everyday life; they are in traffic management systems, in data analysis, scientific research, identity recognition, and, more recently, in generative AI and LLMs open to end users like us.” The What If studios have been experimenting “since OpenAI’s GPT 2 API access was made public, and we’ve been using these frameworks to optimize our workflows as much as possible – things like Whisper from OpenAI for transcribing and subtitling, Midjourney or Stable Diffusion for ideation and storyboarding, LLMs for brainstorming, ideation, and even coding. An example of what we’ve been doing is, with the help of LLMs, coding internal production tools – we have a full stack of small utilities that can be used internally to improve our business without the need to hire a software developer that ultimately makes the life of our employees easier in day-to-day tasks.” these systems create, but as any new technology, there’s a discovery and adaptation period that is a healthy part of the process.” Narciso is not one to fear the machines.

On the contrary, he admits that “these days, fortunately, there are a lot of ways to save everyone time with either repetitive or non-creative jobs using either LLMs or Generative AI. It liberates artists and creatives to actually explore their minds instead of worrying about other tasks that can be easily offloaded to a machine. It is, in a way, how we got to this point—there was a need to automate, and science provided.” Yet, away from the technicalities, Narciso simply says, “it’s this empowerment that AI/ML frameworks give to people that we are most excited about. Suddenly, we got access to an easy (conversational) way of accessing the full human knowledge, and that’s culture changing. The end goal is to make life easier and more convenient, and these systems will be instrumental to achieve this goal.” On the client side, though, Narciso argues that “At What If, we advise, within our best knowledge and experience, the best workflow to achieve results through the path of least resistance. If there is a way of achieving a result that will involves any kind of AI framework, we will present it and explain both options with their pros and cons.”

Yet, he goes on to advise that, “Sometimes it’s difficult to tone down some unrealistic expectations Thankfully, he says in a comforting tone that the machine “does not replace; it assists.” Narciso thinks that AI is both money saving and an investment. Quite simply, “There is definitely a budget consideration while using AI workflows – mixed with a bit of convenience. And yes, while saving in some departments, we can invest in others that might be more meaningful to our overall strategy. In the end, we’re striving for ultimate efficiency, and there is a lot of it to be harvested with the help of AI.”

This article was originally posted here by Campaign Middle East.

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Ford Middle East has launched its ‘Re-Explore Life’ campaign for its latest 2025 Ford Explorer model in partnership with VML and What If Creative Studio.

Directed by Ed Yazbek and executive produced by Nasrallah Saad, this campaign’s hero film centres around the idea that every adult was once a young explorer, full of curiosity and courage, and nudges them to find that spark within them again.

Set against the stunning backdrop of the UAE’s rocky mountains, the campaign highlights the 2025 Ford Explorer and its top features in technology, power, and interior design, as an “enabler for re-exploration”.

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Speaking to Campaign Middle East, Hugo Narciso, Managing Partner at What If Creative Studio, explains, “The brand goals were to introduce the new Ford Explorer model, but carefully placing it into the family segment as an enabler for re-exploration.”

“Ford Middle East focused on specific target users of the Explorer: the family car, the newlywed couple in search of adventure, and friends who want to escape the mundane,” Narciso added.

As such, the campaign was strategised with the aim of rekindling the need for exploration within adults.

May Chaker, Business Director at VML, said, “This campaign goes beyond just a product launch. It’s about reconnecting people with their adventurous spirit. The 2025 Ford Explorer serves as a bridge between everyday life and the extraordinary experiences waiting to be discovered. In the Middle East, where tradition meets innovation, this vehicle perfectly embodies both aspects.”

As the voiceover aptly puts it, the drive to explore is “the drive that led us to this exact moment. To do it all over again.”

Watch the video above to witness how the campaign has come to life.

CREDITS:

Client: Ford Middle East

Creative: VML

Production House: WHAT IF Creative Studio

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Creativity is becoming the only obstacle to content production. Although it comes with its downsides, i'm extremely hopeful for the upsides.

When I started playing around with moving pictures, back in my teenage bedroom, experimenting with After Effects 5, recording videos with a broom and replacing it with a light saber, or cloning myself with the "magic" power of masks.. Learning how to use software back then was trial and error, clicking every button, expecting the software to crash just to start again and do it better. It was quite a time consuming, frustrating experience. It was fun and rewarding though; the curiosity got me here. We kept the exports for ourselves to eventually be lost trough the wear and tear of old tech spinning hard drives, when clouds were just white spots in the sky.

Today, with the accessibility of machine learning, the advent of computing power or the complete overhaul of communication infrastructure, making things is a mundane task. The turnaround times for solo experiments in today's kid's bedroom is pretty much instant in comparison.

Get an internet connection, get a Discord account, spend some time on YouTube, you'll learn where to click and steps to follow in no time. If you don't know, just ask. You can even have a personal teacher just for you (LLM as a chatbot service). Very (very) soon we'll only need to speak, and the results appear.

As we enter a new paradigm of how we give inputs to our computers, what does it mean for the creative industry? I don't know. What I know is it's easier than ever to create, to put what we think in visual terms, and that's amazing. No more spending days on a 10 second low resolution clip painfully tracking broom sticks frame by frame on really bad monitors. No more waiting hours for an export because your computer can't preview.

Now, it's so easy to fail that we can iterate more. Make more. Create more.

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

As we welcome in the new year of 2023, we at WHAT IF Creative Studio are excited to share some of the innovative technologies we are considering incorporating into our video content production starting this year.

We have seen the incredible potential of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in generating stunning visuals and unique content and we are exploring ways to leverage these capabilities to enhance the quality of our projects as well as make our workflows more efficient.

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While we believe that AI can be a powerful tool in the world of video content production, it is important to note that it is not a replacement for highly skilled professionals. We believe the combination of human expertise and AI technology can lead to even greater levels of creativity and efficiency.

By using AI workflows, our team is able to focus on the creative aspects of their work, rather than getting bogged down in repetitive tasks. This allows them to bring their unique perspective and talent to bear on the projects they work on, resulting in higher quality content for our clients.

AI text generators, for example, can help with creative copywriting by providing ideas and inspiration, using advanced algorithms to generate unique text based on prompts or parameters. These tools can be useful for generating ideas for taglines and other types of content with short turnaround times. However, it is important to carefully review and revise any text generated by these tools to ensure accuracy, appropriateness, and effectiveness.

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Nas holding a NERF inside a NERF

Neural Radiance Fields (NeRFs) are a type of machine learning model that can generate new images of complex 3D scenes based on a set of 2D input images. They work by analyzing the patterns and structures in the input images and using machine learning algorithms to interpolate between them and create a complete, 3D representation of the scene. NeRFs are particularly effective at generating synthetic images for use in digital media.

A NeRF network is trained to map from viewing direction and spatial location to opacity and color, using a technique called volume rendering. This allows it to create new views of a scene that are highly realistic and detailed. However, NeRFs are computationally intensive and can take a long time to process complex scenes. Recent advances in the technology have led to the development of new algorithms that can improve performance and speed up the process and, of course, we're paying very close attention to them.

Imagining, Dreaming, Creating

Image diffusion models have the potential to significantly impact the stock imagery industry by making it easier and faster to produce high-quality images in large quantities. While these models are still in the early stages of development, it is likely that they will play an increasingly important role in the industry as they continue to evolve and mature.

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In addition to generating new variations of an existing image, image diffusion models can also be used to create new types of animations. By analyzing the patterns and structures in an image sequence and using machine learning algorithms to create new, similar images, these models can be used to generate entirely new animations that are based on the original content.

Another potential use case is in the creation of abstract or surreal animations that are loosely based on real-world references. By feeding an image diffusion model a series of prompts and styles, it is possible to generate entirely new animations that are based on those inputs.

One potential use case for this technology is in the creation of visual effects for film or television, where it can be used to generate entirely new environments or worlds that are not possible to achieve using traditional techniques. For example, an effects artist could use an image diffusion model to generate a range of surreal landscapes or cityscapes based on real-world reference material.

We are always looking for ways to stay at the forefront of the industry and deliver the highest quality content to our clients. By incorporating AI into our workflows, we believe we can achieve even greater levels of efficiency and creativity.

We hope this newsletter has given you a glimpse into the exciting technologies we are considering for the new year, and we look forward to sharing more updates with you as we continue to innovate and push the boundaries of video content production. While we have highlighted just a few examples in this newsletter, there are many more AI workflows and technologies that we are excited to share with you in the future.

We hope that this newsletter has given you a taste of the exciting possibilities that AI offers for content production, and we look forward to continuing the conversation in the coming year.

Wishing you a happy and prosperous 2023.

The last few years were indubitably the most challenging times for any business. The COVID-19 pandemic has put to the test the most resilient of industries and content production was not spared. We, at WHAT IF Creative Studio, took the moment to look at ourselves, study our strengths and weaknesses, and truly appreciate the opportunities we were given.

We realized that what drives us to wake up every day, many times at early hours in the morning to go to set, to shoot, to deliver; is a passion that cannot be easily disrupted.  We believe we are stronger today and are encouraged by the prospect of future challenges and future growth.

We are proud to support the development of an innovative, creative, fun and trustworthy eco-system where all those involved can be stronger, together; collectively nurturing a creative world where "I can't" becomes "WHAT IF”.

We are very proud of producing this beautiful piece of content for the World's Greatest Show, Expo 2020 Dubai.

This is Our Time is the Official Theme Song of Expo 2020 Dubai. Featuring Arabic singers of different generations, it is a celebration of unity and hope by the world's biggest platform that connects the world to create the future.‍

We also supported our friend Director Ekta Saran on her passion project.

A short film dealing with the complicated and evolving concept of identity, aptly titled as Identity. A very big thank you to all our friends who contributed with their time and passion and enabled local based directors to fulfill their vision.‍

With the vision of our friends at Misfits we produced 3 brilliant and funny commercials. Check them out!‍

Expo 2020 Dubai privileged us with producing the promotional video for the Opening Ceremony.‍

One of our latests for Nokia 5.4, showcasing the features of the phone. Welcome to our world!‍

3 ideas, 4 sets of casts, 2 variations each.

Together with VICE and The Emirates, we produced 7 amazing documentaries that tell the story of the UAE. Check them out and you'll be amazed with the great stories we found all over the United Arab Emirates.‍

Back in March 2019, we partnered with Expo 2020 Dubai to deliver this heartfelt message of hope and optimism to the entire world."..we wouldn't have made it, if we didn't stand together, as one."‍

Happy 2022!!

This article was originally posted here by Gulf News.

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Dubai: The UAE Government Media Office, in association with VICE Media’s, has launched a series of short films designed to introduce global audiences to the UAE’s robust business environment.

The “It’s Possible” series explores an array of creative arts ranging from music to food to portray the vibrant and multifaceted nation. Each short film features residents from across the emirates, who narrate engaging, highly personal stories about living, learning, working, creating and growing in today’s UAE.

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The content series, produced by the UAE Government Media Office, as part of the United Global Emirates’ initiatives, is a comprehensive aimed at promoting the incentives and benefits that the UAE offers for talents from all over the world.

Global campaign

“The series highlights the one-of-a-kind diversity of the UAE, where more than 190 nationalities live and work in harmony and safety,” said Alia Al Hammadi, Deputy Chairperson of the Media Office of the UAE Government. “It also captures an authentic picture of the UAE as a global destination for living, working, creating and investing, which helps support of the goals of the ‘United Global Emirates’ campaign.”

Emirati society in seven videos

The film clips in the “It’s Possible” series celebrate the pluralism and diversity that characterise the UAE’s society, history and culture, and do so by focusing on the following themes:

The Story of Art

A collection of artists from different backgrounds living in the UAE will discuss their creative inspirations. The video includes inter-disciplinary artist Majd Alloush, muralist Tarsila Schubert and painter Maisoon Al Saleh.

The Story of Food

The divergent passions of four food professionals highlight both the diversity of flavours in the modern UAE. British oyster farmer in Fujairah, an Ethopian coffee roaster, an Egyptian barbecue pit master and an Emirates chef whose job enables him to combine his love of food and travel will feature the video.

The Story of Innovation

The UAE’s ambitions to build a knowledge-based economy has seen it harness, develop and refine a host of cutting-edge new technologies. Dr Lourdes Vega, Director of Research and Innovation Center, Khalifa University, shares her mission to develop clean energy solutions, while Sky Kurtz, CEO of Pure Harvest, explains why hydroponics can solve the triple threat of food security, water conservation and economic diversification. Ayesha Sharafi, spacecraft propulsion engineer on the Hope Probe, will discuss the importance of inspiring youth to take up STEM.

The Story of Language

The UAE is a place of many languages, where Arabic jostles side by side with English, Urdu, Hindi and Tagalog. It’s also a place where its creative expression finds new forms, whether through deaf actor Abdulsalam Zourob’s Mime Studio, Isobel Abulhoul’s efforts to launch the Emirates Literature Festival or the novels of local writer Annabel Kantaria.

The Story of Music

Music is perhaps the most potent and immediately accessible form of cultural expression. The story of the emirates as a place of exchange, refuge and discovery is told by music producer and DJ Dany Nevile, rapper Saud Saleh and taiko drummer Taryam Al Katheeri.

The Story of Performing Arts

Cultures combine and collide in the creative corners of the UAE, with Sima Dance Company’s blend of classic and folkloric styles, Jaysus Zain’s challenging and combative poetry and Amal Al Mansoori’s manga voiceovers.

The Story of Sport

The UAE is one of the world’s sporting capitals, is home to world-class tournaments and unparalleled facilities. It’s also a place where sport can break down barriers and create opportunities, as we learn from adventurer Khalif Al Mazroui, UAE national team midfielder Areej Al Hammadi, and special needs coach and campaigner, Holly Murphy.

United Global Emirates campaign

“It’s Possible” video series is a key component of the newly launched “United Global Emirates” campaign, the international campaign launched on Sunday to highlight the world-class capabilities, services, infrastructure, legal frameworks and resources available in the UAE to international investors, entrepreneurs and professional talents seeking new global opportunities. The campaign will also highlight the benefits to entrepreneurs, start-ups and investors of all sizes and stages of choosing the UAE as a launch platform for their enterprises. Launched in conjunction with the country’s 50th anniversary, the campaign builds on the unparalleled successes of the last half-century and sets the agenda for the next: to attract sustainable investment in innovation-based sectors.