Sorouh raises $1m for Red Crescent

Ad-Air's record breaking 20,000 square metres advertising site in Dubai is hosting a unique and ambitious charitable campaign.

The international network of advertising mega sites, has filled the gigantic space with about a million faces from around the world for client Abu Dhabi-based Sorouh Real Estate .

The campaign launched in October last year when Ad-Air's record breaking Dubai site was first unveiled, with Sorouh pledging to donate $1 for every face uploaded free onto their website.

On Monday the company will donate a grand total of $1 million (Dh3.67m) to the UAE Red Crescent; to improve the housing conditions of the underprivileged residents in the Northern Emirates.

Ad-Air's advertising site in Dubai is situated next to the Hyatt Regency Hotel and positioned strategically close to Dubai International's flight-paths, targeting air passengers when taking off and landing. The first advert unveiled at the site for Sorouh last October was declared by a Guinness World Record adjudicator as a new "World Record for Banner Size" and has been seen by an estimated seven million passengers in the past six months.

Passenger numbers at airports are rapidly rising. Dubai International Airport said in April that passenger traffic jumped more than 15 per cent during the first quarter of 2008 alone, making the Ad-Air site one of the most effective in terms of reach among a desirable consumer group.

The job of printing the million faces has been equally impressive. All photos were digitally printed onto the giant canvas, taking 24 hours a day of continuous printing over 26 days to complete the daunting task.

Dubai International Airport is the first of more than 30 of the world's busiest airports which will feature Ad-Air's advertising mega sites. Further Ad-Air sites are due to roll out in London Heathrow, Paris Charles De Gaulle, Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai and Bangkok in the coming months.

Andrew Ward, CEO of Ad-Air Group, said: "We are delighted that the unique properties of our advertising sites have made this campaign possible. With the sheer scale involved, brands and agencies can be truly adventurous with Ad-Air. Our network continues to go from strength to strength.

"Helping to generate $1million for charity in our first year is testament to the power of the medium. We look forward to bringing more world firsts to all the major markets of the world very soon. The sky really is the limit."

Masood Al Awar, chief sales and marketing officer of Sorouh, said: "Innovation, creativity and responsibility to society are inherent to Sorouh's business ethics and corporate culture. In addition to unveiling a world first with a creative approach, we are also proclaiming our adherence to supporting the welfare of others."

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