Quods Ouaissi, Chief Creative Officer TNC, Morocco
TNC is an independent creative agency based in Casablanca. The agency started with the belief that creativity is not just a commercial tool, but a cultural force that builds ideas that move people before they move metrics. The agency’s philosophy is simple: use creativity to connect, to challenge, and to change.
What was the starting point for creating “Domestic May Day”?
It started with anger. The kind that sits in your throat and won’t go away. When ATEC and UN Women came to us, they told us stories that hit us hard. Stories of women, widows or that have been through a divorce, that are left with nothing, because the law didn’t recognize the years they spent working inside their homes. One story still haunts me: a woman who said her ex-husband “would only give her the money she was owed if she slept with him.” You can’t un-hear that. You can’t go back to thinking this is “just a social issue.” We were furious, not in a performative, ad-agency way, but as humans. But we also knew that in a conservative country like Morocco, we couldn’t tell those stories in such a raw way. We couldn’t show women as victims; it would’ve shut people down. So we flipped the lens. We decided to tell a story that empowers women instead. Because these women aren’t weak, they’re warriors of everyday survival. We wanted the world to see their strength, not their suffering. That’s how it started. From rage but reimagined into dignity.
How did the idea of connecting Labor Day with the struggles of domestic workers come about?
Initially, ATEC and UN Women planned to launch their program in April, without any link to May 1st. But as we started working with the creative team, listing out everything women do daily for zero dirhams (Moroccan currency), one of us said: “She’s actually the hardest-working person in Morocco but no one recognizes her.” Then someone added, “What if all the women in Morocco marched wearing aprons?” And that’s when it clicked. By accident. Or maybe by alignment. Labor Day is when workers demand rights. So we gave domestic workers a place on that day. The apron became their banner. Our partner loved it instantly. They even delayed their whole operational plan to make it happen. When a client says “Let’s do it,” at that moment, you know you’re on to something special.
What kind of reactions did the campaign generate among the public, and from local and international media?
Emotion. Debate. Exactly what we wanted. When the women marched in aprons with their “job description” printed on their backs, it exploded. Social feeds, TV, newspapers, all filled with those images. Of course, not everyone loved it. And then came that comment online: “I’m sure this campaign was made by a bunch of angry, divorced, middle-aged women.” We laughed for ten straight minutes as the lead Creative Director was a man. Because that’s when we knew, we’d hit the nerve. When the audience starts psychoanalyzing your creative team, it means you’ve entered the bloodstream. Some said it was “against tradition,” others “too provocative.” But honestly, when everyone agrees with you, you’ve probably said nothing important. But that’s what truth does, it divides before it unites. And honestly, we love a little turbulence. It means the message hit a nerve.
What does it mean for TNC to have received 3 trophies at Luum 2025 for its campaign “Domestic May Day”?
It means we didn’t hallucinate the impact. It’s an incredible feeling of pride. One trophy would have made us happy, three is extraordinary. Being recognized by such a prestigious festival, judged by an international jury, alongside leading global agencies, is an immense honor. It’s also a huge motivation for us to keep going further, to keep representing Morocco internationally, and to keep using creativity to give a voice to the causes that truly matter.
How important do you think this type of recognition is for the advertising industry in North Africa?
Being recognized for that proves that North Africa is full of talent, creativity, and purpose. It shows that we can stand shoulder to shoulder with the biggest agencies in the world, and that our region has stories, voices, and ideas that deserve to be heard globally. This recognition tells every North African creative that our stories belong on the main stage. That our voice doesn’t need translation, it needs amplification.
What message do you have for agencies that don’t yet offer their creative talent to efforts to make the world a better place?
Who better than advertisers to reach people’s hearts and change perceptions? Selling an idea or shifting a mindset, that’s what we do every day. But using that same skill to make the world better is infinitely more rewarding.
Yes, creating a legacy in advertising is in itself incredible. Creating a social legacy, that’s immortality.
So, to every agency still hesitating: stop waiting for the perfect brief. The world is the brief. Pick a fight that matters. And write the hell out of it.