CAIRO: Every year during the month of Ramadan, Egyptian TV commercials invade the screens of satellite channels, especially those raising donations through charity and zakah (almsgiving) for hospitals.
This year’s commercials have come against the backdrop of the coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic. A night-time curfew forcing Egyptians to stay home has increased TV viewing numbers.
In this year’s Vodafone ad, Egyptian singer Sherine Abdel-Wahab sang “Ezwetna fi Lammetna” (Strong Together). The ad featured international Egyptian football star Mohamed Salah and his daughter Makka, comedian Mohamed Henedy, star comedian, producer and TV host Esaad Younis, actor Abdel-Rahman Abou Zahra, and film star Mona Zaki.
19011 Pharmacies launched a campaign at the beginning of Ramadan that featured the most successful singers of the 1990s, including Ehab Tawfik, Hamid El-Shaery, Mustafa Qamar and Hisham Abbas. The crooners have been out of the limelight for years and were missed by the older generation of Egyptian audiences. “We can manage any hardship, we can, we will go on and will never stop, together we will be stronger and bigger, and we can always rely on each other,” they sang.
TV commercials that sell products naturally hired the biggest stars. El-Jawhara Ceramics chose movie star Youssra, who wore an elegant evening gown for the occasion. The ad featured a video of world renowned Egyptian actor Omar Sharif saying “every time has its own beauty, Youssra.”
Singers Mahmoud El-Esseily and Bahaa Sultan appeared in the Banque Misr commercial, where they performed “Enta Estesnaey” (You Are Exceptional).
The biggest controversy in Ramadan concerned Cottonil, a company that produces cotton underwear. Its advert at the beginning of Ramadan featured Mais Hamdan singing and flirting with her neighbor and his “boxer” shorts. Responding to widespread criticism, the company issued an apology and replacing it with another out of respect for public sensibilities.
The hotline for Hospital 57357, which treats children with cancer, featured Egypt’s biggest names in the entertainment business, including singer Mohmed Mounir, actors Youssra, Lebleba, and Maged El-Masry, and singers Samira Said, Tamer Hosny, Wael Jassar, Hakim, Mona Abdel-Ghany, and Anoushka.
Although celebrities featuring in TV campaigns for hospitals and charity foundations are reportedly volunteers, claims have circulated on social media that the celebrities who appeared in commercials for goods and telecommunication companies were paid handsomely, although Arab News could not independently verify this information.
Social media numbers indicate that Salah was paid the highest fee for a commercial — $2.3 million — for Vodafone while Henedy received 500,000 Egyptian pounds ($31,700), Zaki 1 million pounds and Younis 800,000 pounds. Sultan is said to have been paid $31,700 for the Banque Misr commercial.
