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The desert heat of the Emirates has met an unexpected deluge as Diesel’s latest outdoor campaign washes over the UAE’s most prominent billboards with a refreshing splash of high-fashion irony. 

The commercial features an interior scene which turns out to be a complete fiasco with a couple of models calmly standing on bright yellow stools while water floods from all corners of the kitchen up to their ankles. This is a great shift in the visual strategy which, despite being completely nonsensical, gives hope to consumers that they can have a successful life. 

The genius of this execution stems from its brilliant use of contrast and composition. The models have been placed in an ordinary, completely white kitchen environment but then subjected to a sudden flood of water which seems to be pouring over them in a surreal manner, compelling anyone passing by to stop and take a closer look at this scene. The denim is depicted in a sun-faded, vintage wash, highlighting the enduring nature of the material despite the calamity occurring around them. The smiling faces of the models indicate that even though the world might be drowning, their fashion statement still floats above everything else.

Each element within the ad works for a specific reason, including the bright yellow seating that is used to inject some essential primary color into the image, as well as the big red Diesel logo placed right in the corner as the last resort of luxury. This advertisement does not just promote clothes, but promotes the idea of a cool attitude during troubled times. Using the vast spaces provided by billboards within the United Arab Emirates, Diesel converts a simple photoshoot into cinema, thus showing how irony and enough water could still create an impressive splash in this crowded market environment.

The new campaign took off on UAE’s uni-pole billboards in the fourth week of April.