Infiniti, Nissan group’s challenger brand, wanted to launch their most innovative family SUV ever. So, to match the car’s modern features, we opted for a modern campaign approach and message.

We decided to create a film that felt different from every other car ad in the market: an animated short, just like the ones Pixar plays before their feature films. This ensured that the film would be watched and enjoyed by the whole family because, well, that’s the type of content that families watch daily. But we knew our story needed a bigger message/real purpose if we really wanted to connect with people on a deeper level. So, we came up with a storyline that portrayed a father (our protagonist) in a way the region has never seen - as the primary caretaker and ultimately ballet tutor.

Taking the Wheel is an animated short film that tells the story of a father who is left alone with his daughters when his wife has an emergency business trip. The catch? His daughters have their end of year ballet presentation in these exact weeks, making Dad have to step into a role he’s never played before.

The story debunked stereotypes and showed an Arab father in a completely different light, making a bold and strong statement about family roles in the region and, essentially, challenging century-old values.

Every day, millions of families watch animated content on Youtube, Disney+ and so forth. So, when Infiniti wanted to launch their most modern family car ever, we decided to ignore what car makers traditionally done and pretend like we were an animation studio. Why? Because we wanted to avoid investing in something that would get skipped (which is what happens to most ads) and ensure that our content cut through and connected with them on a deeper level.

Making an animation led us to a film that looked and felt like the content families love watching, but we also had to sneak the film into channels that pushed the film to families as if it was content (and essentially not an ad). So, we took our almost 2-minute animation to cinemas and played them before Disney movies and did the same on Youtube, buying media before content consumed by families.

The campaign execution involved hours and hours of 3D modelling, rigging, and ultimately bringing characters and locations to life that felt truly regional. Animations don’t usually feature Middle Eastern characters, so we knew that if we embodied the region visually, people would naturally be drawn to our content.

We launched Taking the Wheel in online, in cinemas and on TV (as part of cable programming) and connected with families across the region, inviting them to challenge century-old family roles and modernize their homes.

Taking the Wheel was the most watched content in INFINITI’s history, with a total of 7.8M views and 40,752 impressions. The film was featured in the Campaign Middle East Top 15 Ads of the year and achieved an 89% view-thru rate, proving that it captivated the audience and connected with them on a deeper level, starting an important conversation among families in the Middle East about gender roles and the household.