A Pop Culture–Inspired Campaign for Iraq

Iraq’s young generation is living on Instagram and TikTok, scrolling through regional glamour and shaping their own vision of home and lifestyle. But in a market where electronics are mostly judged by price and specs, TCL wanted to become something more: a brand that fits into the lifestyle this audience aspires to.
The brand faced a perception challenge. TCL AC units were seen as purely functional appliances, not cultural symbols. And on social platforms where people skip anything that feels like an ad, that gap became even harder to bridge.
We uncovered a key insight: Iraqi youth don’t just watch reality-style regional content like Dubai Bling, they use it as inspiration. It shapes how they imagine friendships, homes, and future lifestyles. They stop for content that looks like a show trailer, and scroll past anything that resembles a traditional commercial. So to earn their attention, TCL had to behave like the content they naturally choose to watch.
That insight shaped the big idea. Instead of creating a typical AC ad, we adapted the viral Dubai Bling debate format and turned it into a story entirely centered around the TCL AC. Starring well-known Iraqi celebrities: Ruwaida Shaheen, Suhair Salah, and Sandy Jamal, the film unfolds like a heated reality-show confrontation, except the drama revolves around the air conditioner. By blending pop-culture theatrics with a relatable Iraqi household moment, the AC becomes the unexpected main character.
To bring this idea to life, we built a complete visual world for TCL Bling. A detailed moodboard guided every element from locations and styling to color palettes, carefully written scripts, and lighting blending regional glamour with modern Iraqi reality. The film was shot inside elevated Iraqi-style interiors and executed with a reality-TV aesthetic: fluid camera movements, quick cuts, and social-first framing inspired by Reels and Stories.
The campaign launched primarily on Instagram, followed by an after-campaign layer of interview-style content featuring the three personalities reflecting on the experience. This extended the narrative beyond the film and deepened engagement with the audience.
The results exceeded expectations. TCL Bling generated over 30 million organic views on Instagram with zero boosting. In a country of roughly 42 million people, the campaign achieved near-national organic reach. Thirty-two Iraqi influencers (macro-mega) reshared the film organically, transforming it into earned media and a cultural moment. Many viewers believed it was a trailer for a new reality show, clear proof that TCL Bling succeeded as entertainment first, advertising second.
Behind the scenes, the campaign was shaped by close collaboration across teams