INSITE OOH Media Platform

Cairo’s highways have recently gained a touch of star power as a new out-of-home campaign by Housing & Development Bank stretches across billboards with a cinematic presence, gathering some of Egypt’s most recognizable faces in a single frame to deliver a confident message: whether you already know the bank or you’re just discovering it, its banking services have no end.

It’s a billboard that looks almost like a group shot from a modern Egyptian drama, hosting Khaled El Nabawy, Salma Abu Deif, Huda El Mufti, Ahmed Abdelwahab, Mohamed Radwan, and Gihan El Shamashergy, a roster of actors and actresses from different generations of Egyptian entertainment history. Their presence immediately draws people’s gaze from a distance. Each of these celebrities evokes a different kind of audience response, but their presence in a group shot gives a sense of inclusiveness, almost a symbolism of the audience served by the bank.

While these celebrities are arranged in a casual pose in a modern interior design, their presence looks inviting, almost as if they are engaging people in a conversation, unlike a typical banking advertisement. Behind this group of celebrities is a rich green background that represents the visual identity of the bank, evoking a sense of familiarity and brand recognition.

The Arabic text on the right side of the billboard loosely translates to “whether you already know the bank or you’re just discovering it, its banking services have no end.” This text speaks to those who know the bank and those who don’t know the bank, promising banking services without end. The text is large, bold, and bright, which is important for a billboard intended to be read while moving at high speeds on the highway. However, the most important aspect of this marketing campaign is that it is simple. Rather than bombarding consumers with information about the bank’s services, this billboard works to build trust through familiarity, and they do so by positioning the bank alongside well-known faces that represent credibility, charm, and approachability.

Check out Monitoring Out of Home (MOOH), a specialist media intelligence agency and analysis system active in Cairo & Dubai, to learn more about this campaign.