Does the ad appeal to the mass public? No… I don't think anyone cares about the historical context of the ad, especially since it does not pertain to Gulf Bank in any way, shape or form… Simply put Gulf Bank is a financial institution, they do not sell bottled water… How scratches on a wall and a bleeded image of a Kuwaiti door translates to the naturalization initiatives taken by Gulf Bank still alludes me..

All I see are the scratches a prisoner would make counting the number of days spent in prison….

Even from a symbolic point of view, based on Najla's explanation, the marks on the wall represent debt, which is the one word that should never be mentioned in the creative rationale of a financial institution, especially Gulf Bank (no explanation required). It's like inserting the idea of abortion in a pampers ad…

As for Indian Curry we are not looking at an ad from Tokoyo or Rio… its an ad from Kuwait being analyzed by individuals who, i can only assume, all reside in Kuwait… if we were comparing Apples and Oranges then maybe your ill-conceived comments would be pertinent… But as a Kuwaiti living in Kuwait i find it borderline insulting that a caption is required. As if i am too ignorant to understand what is being communicated or as if the creative is so poorly conceived that an explanation is required.

I am simply pointing out the fact that ads are not pictures from National Geographic that require a caption… And if treated as such then something is fundamentally wrong..

nothing personal Indian Curry…

If you go back to history you may realize that the ancestors of many Royals, Heads of States, Industrialists, Businessmen etc belonged to humble backgrounds..The Arab world did not always have the riches of oil.. before the discovery of oil, every family had some mode of livelihood and most people that I know of our amazingly proud of their roots..some were waterbearers, some fishermen, some peasants, construction workers etc..they all had an honest source of income..they worked hard to keep their kitchen fires burning and their families well fed..were they low lives?? if a person's income and profession (although honest and acceptable by law and society) decides how you respect the person, then I guess you went to the wrong school..I doubt the Kandaris would be at all embarassed by their family roots..

And just for your information, with all due respect to The Babtain family, they still sell cigarettes, but on a larger scale..they are the agents for Marlboro in Kuwait..

As for the ad, I am sure Gulf Bank had no intention of humiliating the Kandari Family..the rationale provided by Najla is just to create a connection between an old practice and the ad to convey a message so that the audience of today could understand..I would like to join the list of people here who like this ad.. Bravo BBDO!!

I personally feel the concept of the ad is very nostalgic and a reminder of the humble beginnings of Kuwait which everyone ESPECIALLY KUWAITIS should not forget! It's reaching to the Kuwaiti people. I don't think the Kandari's would find this offensive and racist at all! We all have roots – and those of us with brains should ALWAYS be proud of where we came from – even if we have come far from the past – we all started somewhere!

Mr Obvious raised a very good point – your discussion highlights that an explanation is needed for the ad, is this the issue? In which case that's what should be addressed – maybe it was taken for granted that people would understand (which is a common mistake), but now that you understand the concept do you still think its a poor ad? (leaving the discussion of it shouldn't have to be explained on the side?)

This is the first time I see Gulf Bank reaching out to the Kuwaiti customer – it seems like a new strategy reaching out to that patriotic chord and I am keen to see what else they come up with!

Last but not least, I think this ad targets 100% Kuwaitis, because only Kuwaitis would get it. And that's what the campaign is about – hiring Kuwaitis. I personally think that this is one of the best campaigns done by Gulf Bank – simple execution, powerful concept.

Bravo Gulf Bank.

FYI – A Kandari is the man who brings water. He can be from any family.

Guess you know-it-all by now :)