Soap brand Lush, in collaboration with Deliveroo, created a self-timing soap designed to completely dissolve after 30 seconds of vigorous use – precisely how long you are recommended to wash to make your hands clean and safe. It applies a thin layer of sanitiser liquid to any supermarket or store trolley handle – killing 99.9 per cent of germs – with one simple swipe. The innovation was conceived in 2015 for Lifebuoy. In May, WPP creative commerce agency Geometry reintroduced its ‘Handle on Hygiene’ technology to provide retailers with the opportunity to implement a safe, customer-first response in the fight against the spread of Covid-19. The grains of sand come together to form a McDonald’s meal. Falling grains of sand slowly reveal the exact time customers can break their fast.

It turned outdoor McDonald’s Drive-Thru screens into Ramadan Iftar Sand Clocks. McDonald’s Saudi Arabia created a novel new way to advertise its products during Ramadan without being disrespectful.

Once the sun started revealing itself again, so the prices increased as well, until the eclipse and the sale were over. But only for the brief window of almost-total coverage. Since the eclipse reached 97 per cent, Mastercard holders also received 97 per cent off an array of pre-selected products. Leveraging a rare solar eclipse, prices on shopping site Noon were diminished with the sun. Then sections were cut away and made into 50 standalone artworks. Butcher produced an energetic mural entitled Kinetic over three days.

Volkswagen Middle East partnered with long-term UAE-based artist Maddy Butcher to create an artistic take on the new Volkswagen Brand. By August the brand had put its ‘finger-lickin’’ slogan on hold due to Covid-19 fears. In March, to celebrate the freedom that comes with eating with your hands – and to emphasise that eating at KFC is always a fun and super-casual experience, KFC turned its menus, placemats, food bags, posters, flyers and even its cashier receipts into tissue napkins of different shapes and sizes. This initiative put the iconic skyscraper’s 1.2 million lights up for sale to raise funds and provide meals for coronavirus-hit communities during the Holy Month of Ramadan. 1 Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives

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