Zero to 100 and Beyond.
General Motors marked 100 years in Africa and the Middle East with one film: a single desert drive that travels the decades from its first operations in Egypt in 1926, with Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac in one story.
- Brand
- General Motors
- Agency
- McCann MENA
- Market
- Middle East & Africa
- Region
- MENA
- Year
- 2026
Campaign images
The challenge
GM began operating in the region in Egypt in 1926, and its centenary had to cover three brands, Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac, and generations of drivers. The story had to introduce that history to younger audiences while giving people who lived through it details they would recognise.
The idea
McCann MENA turned the performance shorthand “zero to 100” into a century of shared progress, with “and beyond” pointing to what comes next. The film follows one ride down a desert road that changes across decades, countries and characters, with historic GM vehicles and period clothing and decor for each era. Along the way it takes in a passion for style, advances in industry, women taking the wheel in Saudi Arabia and the UAE’s ambitions in space, with a cast from Egypt, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the Levant. It ends in the present day with Super Cruise, GM’s hands-free driver assistance, which is set to come to the Middle East. Around the film, GM’s regional partners and dealerships share their perspectives in interviews and quotes, and Weber Shandwick MENAT led communications. McCann MENA’s Nima Askari points to the local names people gave the brands: “Chafar” for Chevrolet and “Jims” for GMC.
Case study source: Campaign Middle East Source ↗
Credits
- Client
- General Motors Africa and Middle East
- Creative agency
- McCann MENA
- PR agency
- Weber Shandwick MENAT
- Chief Marketing Officer, General Motors Africa and Middle East
- Furrukh Jawaid
- Senior Corp & Executive Comms Manager, General Motors Africa and Middle East
- Diana Al Shafie
- Head of Communication, Africa & Middle East, General Motors Africa and Middle East
- Monica Louise Barten
- Brand Marketing Manager, General Motors Africa and Middle East
- Rola Daher
- CEO, McCann MENA
- Mounir Harfouche
- Managing Director, McCann MENA
- Tarek Ali Ahmad
- General Manager, McCann MENA
- Nima Askari
- Account Director, McCann MENA
- Sakshi Singh
- Junior Account Manager, McCann MENA
- Abdelrahman Hamdy
- Regional Chief Creative Officer, McCann MENA
- Federico Fanti
- Executive Creative Director, McCann MENA
- Nayaab Rais
- Regional Head of Strategy, McCann MENA
- Nick Salter
- Senior Creative Director, McCann MENA
- Eric Groza
- Senior Art Director, McCann MENA
- Haneen Charaawi
- Copywriter (English), McCann MENA
- Joycelyn Foster
- Copywriter (English), McCann MENA
- Daniel Zaldumbide
- Art Director, McCann MENA
- Anton Stolpovskii
- Senior Graphic Designer, McCann MENA
- Jovir Alipio
- Senior Editor, Production, McCann MENA
- Murilo DePaula
- Senior Finalizer, McCann MENA
- George Yehia
- Senior PR Manager, McCann MENA
- Roksar Kamal
- Senior Executive, PR, McCann MENA
- Ann Maria
- Regional Head of Creative Hub, McCann MENA
- Cynthia Sarkis
- Operations Manager, Creative, McCann MENA
- Ines Issaoui
- Associate Director (Senior Account Director), Weber Shandwick MENAT
- Tania Kteily
- Senior Account Manager, Digital, Weber Shandwick MENAT
- Laila Omar
- Account Manager, Weber Shandwick MENAT
- Adrija Bhowmick
- Associate Manager, Digital, Weber Shandwick MENAT
- Ahmed Shaban
