The concept, rooted in the brands’ dual identities, is a musical and visual masterpiece. Khalifa OG and Armando, two of Iraq’s most influential rappers, took on the challenge of crafting tracks that captured the individual energy of Mountain Dew’s dynamism and Doritos’ daring edge. But the real magic happens when their tracks collide, transformed into a seamless mashup by Wael Alaa, better known as Neobyrd.
The visuals, directed by filmmaker Nazly Abouseif, transform the campaign into a feast for the senses. From gritty urban landscapes to bursts of vibrant color, each frame captures the raw energy and cultural richness of Iraq. The interplay of chaos and beauty reflects the audacious spirit of both brands.

But it’s not just about sound and imagery. This campaign dives deep into the cultural fabric of Iraq. Incorporating Iraqi and Kurdish dialects, it’s designed to feel like it belongs to the audience it’s speaking to – a rare feat in brand storytelling.

The campaign’s dynamic soundscape, crafted by Wael, brought all the visuals and soundtracks together to create a cohesive, immersive experience. The music’s intricate layering served as the emotional core of the entire campaign.
The campaign’s rollout has been equally impactful, combining high-energy TV commercials with immersive in-store branding and digital activations. Each touchpoint extends the campaign’s immersive vibe, creating a cohesive experience that places Mountain Dew and Doritos at the heart of Iraq’s Gen Z culture.

The campaign is another addition to a showcase for Awkward Ads. The agency’s work has fueled a growing presence in the Middle East, particularly for their ability to create culturally resonant storytelling for local audiences while maintaining global brand standards.

As part of the three-year agreement, Starzplay will provide its core product catalog of movies and TV shows for Almanasa subscribers in addition to its Sports pack. T

Further, Internet service provider Earthlink will bundle Almanasa platform as a Premium Bundle with its home Internet packages to offer value-added benefits for its users. The Premium Bundle is exclusive for EarthLink home Internet users and will be included in their subscription.

Raghida Abou Fadel, SVP for Business Development & Sales at Starzplay, said in a statement, “We are delighted to expand our network to cover Iraq to offer premium and cutting-edge programming to all the entertainment and sports enthusiasts in the market. Our content line-up offers an impressive library of English and Arabic programming as well as the best live sporting events and through these value-added packages, subscribers can enjoy exceptional entertainment at no additional cost. We look forward to our partnership with Almanasa as we continue to expand our footprint in the Middle East.”

AlMuheleb AlZaidy, Almanasa CEO, said, “We are proud to provide our subscribers in Iraq with additional content options from one of the region’s leading video streaming services. Customer delight is at the core of our business and offering value-added offers to our customers underlines this commitment. We believe that Starzplay Sports Package, especially Seria A, is an optimum entertainment need for our customers. We hope that they enjoy Starzplay’s compelling programming as we continue to evolve our offerings to deliver unmatched experiences to them.”

Starzplay Sports has the rights to stream the EA Sports Italian Super Cup and SuperCopa Argentina and every match from the Serie A live and exclusive. Sports fans can also enjoy live wrestling, football, cycling, World Championship boxing, UFC, basketball, and more, all available to stream on the platform.

Starzplay is available in 19 countries across the Middle East, North Africa, and Pakistan. 

The tie-up, effective as of January 1, will cover an initial period of five years, with DNA effectively taking on commercial advertising sales across a variety of media platforms from the Iraqi media house, including Alsumaria TV, Sumer FM, Alsumaria News, and Alsumaria App.

Alsumaria, an independent Iraqi satellite TV network launched in 2004, boasts today a highly skilled team of media and broadcast specialists across Iraq, Lebanon, the UAE, and Jordan, with a vast lineup of programs and shows hosted, starred, directed, and produced in-house.

Chafic Tabet, Chairman and CEO Alsumaria Group, said in a statement, “Poised for the next stage in our evolution, we are confident that, in Choueiri Group, we have found partners who not only possess the experience and expertise to drive our success to the next level but also the passion and commitment to truly support independent media publishers such as ourselves. We are very optimistic about the future, and Choueiri Group’s support adds to that enthusiasm.”

Choueiri Group’s Chairman and CEO Pierre Choueiri said, “At Choueiri Group, our engagement with Alsumaria is a source of great joy and excitement. Firstly, we are delighted at the long-term prospects of our agreement, which allows us the requisite timeframe to take Alsumaria to the next level of commercial success with regional advertisers and brands. Secondly, this partnership is aligned with our firm belief in the importance of the Iraqi market and its vast potential. We are confident that Alsumaria will serve as an essential vehicle for developing this market.”

Could you begin by providing a short overview of Ipsos Interactive Service (IIS) and what it does?

Ipsos Interactive Services is the online division of operations within Ipsos. An access panel refers to a website in which people join so that they can get invited to take surveys and benefit from a reward program. We provide our clients with access to respondents who are willing to participate in online surveys. In the MENA region, we manage access panels in nine countries and offer online reach through trusted partners in five more countries. We’ve been operating in the region since 2011.

What will the addition of the online panel in Iraq bring to the table?

Adding Iraq helps us expand our regional footprint and it helps us support research activities in the country. Internet & smartphone penetration is increasing in Iraq and there is more need for an online presence. In addition, given the size of the country, and periodical turmoil that makes travel difficult, face to face research may sometimes be difficult or impossible. Online access to respondents allows us to reach people throughout the country.

How long did it take to set up the panel and what were the challenges you faced while setting it up?

The panel launch was decided in January of this year and we went live on April 2^nd, 2020. The entire set up took around two months. Our panel is available in both Arabic and Kurdish.

The main challenge we faced was with regard to language. We knew Kurdish was required but we discovered that Kurdish encompasses several languages which are not mutually intelligible. The official Kurdish language in Iraq is Sorani Kurdish, but even then, there are important varieties in usage between the different regions. We identified and recruited reliable and professional translators who could help with both translation and localization.

What insights do you hope to obtain from the panel?

Our panel is geared towards the needs of our clients. Insights are collected in order to answer a business question, support decision making, etc.  A company may wish to introduce a new product, test an ad, understand shopping or product usage habits, etc. We pose relevant questions to our panelists, and collect some demographic data. We ask about demographics to better analyze the data. Once the data has been collected, it will be analyzed and reported on in a meaningful actionable manner. The client will know people’s opinion on their new product, how likely it is to succeed, or which concept or ad is preferred among different age groups; and may proceed with their product activities. Insights and research activities are not limited to products.

While the campaign targets “everyone,” it specifically looks at “people with passion and ambition for a better future, people that are proud to be part of our region and people engaged in their communities,” said a Careem spokesperson in an email to Communicate. 

The campaign is created by TBWARAAD, and will run in 12 markets across the Middle East and North Africa. It is a campaign that aims to show the company’s new positioning and reinforces its brand purpose.

“We are present in more than 100 cities across 14 countries and have created more than one million income opportunities since launch. We have taken our services to challenging markets – Iraq and Palestine in the hope that we can play a crucial role in helping to reshape the future of the cities we operate in -just this week we extended our operations into Mosul,” said the spokesperson in the email.

The integrated campaign starts with an emotional film that showcases people from different parts of our region, starting something to make a difference.It targets people between the age group of 18 to 55, who are either existing or recurring customers, captains, colleagues and merchants. 

The film shows “a young girl following her true passion, a Jordanian family taking a step to create an inclusive community, an athlete dedicated to making his country proud, a Palestinian man believing in the impossible, a refugee with ambitions to never give up, a little boy nurturing his imagination, two young men believing in restoring the heritage of an old home, and an entrepreneur choosing to return home to Iraq and start something.”

“More than ever before, the world needs a positive rallying cry that empowers people to take action, to ‘Start Something’, to help change the world for the better. We are extremely proud of this campaign and of our collaboration with Careem,” said Ghassan Kassabji, Chief Development Officer at TBWARAAD in a statement to the press.