Mostafa Hashish
Strategy Portfolio
Group Head Of Strategy
And Us Group, Dubai
ABOUT MOSTAFAGroup Head of Strategy at And Us Group, shaping brand direction across advertising, branding & design, content production, and social. Previously Global Strategy Director at We Are Pi in Amsterdam, leading the global brand strategy for Desperados (Heineken).
13+ years of experience across Cairo, Dubai, and Amsterdam, focused on using cultural and consumer insight to shape brand direction, positioning, and long-term brand building. This portfolio presents selected work shaped by that approach.
SELECTED CLIENTS 
SELECTED AWARDS
DUBAI LYNX
1x Grand Prix
4x Gold
4x Silver
6x Bronze
MENA EFFIES
1x Grand Prix
7x Gold
5x Silver
2x Bronze
LOERIES
1x Grand Prix
3x Gold
3x Bronze
AD STARS
1x Gold
1x Silver
3x Bronze
COMMS ARTS
1x Best-In-Show (Grand Prix)
WARC AWARDS
1x Gold (Global)
1x Silver (MENA
CANNES LIONS
2x Shortlists
Client: Heineken (Global)
An experiential brand platform moves Desperados from participant to cultural center force within party culture - Aug 2023
Agency: We Are Pi, Amsterdam
DESPERADOS DANCE CLUB
SELECTED PROJECTSApp Film Launch
App Experience Breakdown
The Challenge
As the party scene is growing around the world, how do we get the Desperados brand to be a part of every dancefloor, moving it from culturally present to cultural driver?
The Idea
Desperados Dance Club
A global dancefloor-first experiential platform that rewarded real party energy. The app-powered program turned dance steps into rewards that upgraded the party-goer’s experience. DSP became the brand’s flagship long-term experiential tool, positioning the brand as a defining force within party culture.
The Insight
The party is unfair; from ‘couples only’ to ‘knowing the bouncer’, the party hierarchy favors people who play party politics rather than the ‘life of the party’ - the ones that dance the most
Global Market Rollout
Examples across key markets such as UK, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Netherlands, Czech Republic & Nigeria.
Platform activated in clubs around markets & 30+ music festivals including Pukkelpop, Primavera, Lollapalooza, Mysteryland, Amsterdam Dance Event, with brand dedicated stages at Elrow events across Europe & Extrema Outdoor.
VISA - SMALL STEPS ARE NEVER TAKEN ALONE
Client: VISA (CEMEA)
Reframing Visa from transactional utility to an enabler of everyday progress - Oct 2024
Agency: And Us Group, Dubai
The Challenge
Visa global platform - the power of small steps - believes that every transaction is not a mere transfer of funds, but a vote into the person we want to be. We needed the Middle Eastern audience to not only understand, but emotively feel the platform
The Insight
Even the most ambitious of us - Mo Salah - needs someone with them on their small steps to success, and just like the fans were there for Salah, Visa will be there for you
The Idea
Small Steps Are Never Taken Alone
We get consumers to feel the support Salah gets from his fans, just like how VISA supports you in every step
DESPERADOS - GLOBAL BRAND PURPOSE
Client: Heineken (Global)
Moving Heineken’s fast growing international brand from cultural participant to an active shaper of party culture - Aug 2022
Agency: We Are Pi, Amsterdam
The Challenge
As the party culture has seen a major shift in ideology, practice and experience after COVID-19 lockdowns, Desperados - a brand rooted in party - had to readapt its purpose and brand activity to fit the evolving dancefloor, moving itself from cultural presence to active cultural participation.
The Task
Redefining the brand’s purpose, and actioning it across each pillar of the brand, from brand to CSR to external to internal across the local markets.
AMAALA - GLOBAL DESTINATION LAUNCH
Client: Red Sea Global (Global)
Positioning the world’s next luxury destination as the upcoming global center of wellness - Jul 2025
Agency: And Us Group, Dubai
The Challenge
When competing with a world of luxury wellness destinations from Switzerland to Bali, how can you position the next one in Saudi Arabia?
The Insight
The destinations we have built are created for economic wealth, political signaling and instagram stories, not for the human soul
The Idea
Awaken’s Life Rhythm
The destination where you can finally feel fully alive
REXONA x SAFF - WE’RE COMING
Client: Unilever (KSA)
Building a brand sponsorship platform that inspires the next generation of Saudi female athletes - Feb 2025
Agency: And Us Group, Dubai
The Challenge
In 2021, KSA finally got their women’s national team. As the brand celebrating movement, Rexona needed a sponsorship platform to announce the partnership, and make the team an inspiration for women in sports across the country.
The Insight
The two top teams in the world ranking had a 40 year head start. But looking at the trend of growth and rising global ranking of the KSA team,
driven by the female sports strategy of the nation, it’s just a matter of time.
The Idea
We’re Coming
Don’t ask us about what happened, just watch what’s going to happen. We’re here to warn the football world: We’re coming.
ETISALAT WIDER WEB
Client: Etisalat by e& (UAE)
Shifting Etisalat’s role from telecom provider to responsible technology brand - Apr 2021
Agency: Impact BBDO, Dubai
The Challenge
Getting UAE telco & ISP Etisalat to take its place as the custodian of the internet, as opposed to tech brands whom are seen as ‘the internet’
The Insight
People on the autism spectrum struggle with using the internet – due to overstimulation
The Idea
Etisalat Wider Web
a first of its kind open-sourced web extension that allows people on the autism spectrum to have more control over how they experience the internet
The Results
Brand Meaning increased 11% Y-O-Y
’Works towards betterment of society’ metric increased 21% Y-O-Y
DUBAI LYNX
3x Gold
1x Silver
2x Bronze
MENA EFFIES
1x Silver
LOERIES
1x Grand Prix
2x Gold
2x Finalist
AD STARS
1x Gold
1x Silver
3x Bronze
EPICA
1x Bronze
COMMS ARTS
1x Best-In-Show (Grand Prix)
CANNES LIONS
2x Shortlists
GOOGLE SEARCH - PLATFORM LAUNCH
Client: Google (MENA)
Positioning Google Search as accuracy in an environment of confident misinformation - Jun 2018
Agency: Impact BBDO, Dubai
Watch Egypt TV Copies here (2 of 8)
Watch KSA/GCC TV Copies Here (2 of 9)
The Challenge
Make Google the default source of information, in the collectivist Arab world where users are getting their information from social media
The Insight
For Arabs, "not knowing" is seen as a sign of weakness, especially for authority male figures. They will always give an answer, even if it is the wrong one
The Idea
Just Ask Google
Creating key characters that symbolize our cultural insight.
In Egypt, a waterpolo coach was used to tell his team wrong football information during the 2018 world cup, while in KSA (& GCC) a car salesman was chosen to give wrong information about driving and movies during the introduction of women driving & removal of prohibition on cinemas in the country
The Results
The campaign delivered on the business goals & increased users unaided awareness for the feature by 22%
Character & campaign format developed for this were so successful, Google Search made it a communication platform, used for 2 years across 3 more campaigns
Users shared the different campaign creatives across social platforms +100k times including sharing many other ways of how Google helps users daily
User Generated Content
ETISALAT BY E& - BRAND CAMPAIGN
Client: Etisalat by e& (UAE)
Making the brand promise meaningful at the moment people came back together post-COVID - May 2022
Agency: Impact BBDO, Dubai
The Challenge
Etisalat is a 40 year old telco with an annual revenue of 8.5B USD, i.e. the big disconnected corporation.
We needed to find a way to take the brand’s ‘Together Matters’ positioning, and make it meaningful to a diverse 88% expat market, all with their different cultural understanding of what relationships should be like.
The Insight
It’s never about the experiences you have, it’s about the people you share that experience with
The Idea
Together, There’s More…
Context
Coming out of COVID-19 lockdown, people appreciated and understood how important the little things are, and the true value of sharing an experience in person
The modular campaign line & comms plan were designed to target different quotes based on nationality, language and personal interest, translating the meaning to each group through relevant lines & situations.
EG BANK - BRAND RELAUNCH
Client: EG Bank (Egypt)
Breaking through a crowded banking category by speaking to youth on their own terms - May 2017
Agency: FP7 McCann, Cairo
The Challenge
In a market of over 40 banks, how do we transform EG Bank from an old and irrelevant brand to become the bank of the youth?
The Insight
After a failed revolution in Egypt, the youth felt their voice wasn’t heard anymore
The Results
The campaign became a cultural phenomenon - the cast was interviewed on multiple primetime TV shows, generated endless user content (including street graffiti) and even other brands jumped on the bandwagon, using our character in their social posts
In 3 months, there were 100% more accounts opened, than the entire previous year
The Idea
"You're not taken into account, so we made you a bank" (roughly translated)
The Ramadan campaign featured 13 episodes about the character "Oufa", a young man always deterred & ignored by his father and grownups around him
Cast appearances in primetime TV following campaign
UGC (From Memes to Grafitti)
Others brands jumping on the bandwagon
MENA EFFIES
1x Grand Prix
3x Gold
1x Silver
DUBAI LYNX
1x Silver
WARC AWARDS
1x Gold (Global)
1x Silver (MENA)