So here it is. And you need to flip your head to read it. Actually the copy is so genius is reads "turn it in your head and let us know". What is this all about? Well, the upside-down ad for McDonald's recruitment in Lebanon (baristas and crew are needed for all branches apparently). And of course the M from McDonad's flipped reads W.... Really, sometimes the solution is so simple it is genius.
After a long long hiatus, Fantasia is back on the advertising scene. But there's a catch.
Let me explain, they are launching hot flavors. So their line is a twist on the Lebanese expression "3al helwe wel morra" (on for the sweet and the sour times - like you know, wedding vows) except they twisted it to "3al helwe wel harra" (on the sweet and spicy times). The problem? The ads only work as a tandem, yet their ad buy sometimes splits them so you get "wel harra" solo or "3al helwe" solo which basically only makes sense if you have seen both ads together.
Still, after such a long time off it is interesting to see Fantasia back in action.
Well, who knew teaser/revealer still existed? Well, to some it does. So apparently 1+1+1=1. I saw this a while ago but hey even with time the revealer was still in place (we are talking months apart). But it turns out Confidence (1) + Trust (1) + Expertise (1) = Blusky Properties (1). Well, so much for good math. But again, I thought it was funny people - still - resorted to teaser/revealer practices because these assume people actually do pay attention and anticipate, which - newsflash - they do not.
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Well, banks are not exactly liked or wanted these days in Lebanon. So instead of advertising directly, they are resorting to well... backdoor advertising. Take BO2 the new digital bank... by none other than... Byblos Bank! Now I am not a techie expert but this seems like a digital wallet somehow. Still, interestingly, "by Byblos Bank" is so small on the ad as it is was an afterthought. Because, again, people are still reeling from rage at how banks tricked people and subscribed them into this immense Ponzi scheme. And people wonder why Lebanon is now this giant cash economy!
Lebanese resistance - no, the other one - the one that was birthed (supposedly) by the onset of the war 50 years ago (April 13, 1975). Well, guess what they are celebrating this in the Ain el Roumaneh - Chiyah stadium with the slogan "our cause is resistance, our project is Lebanon". Well, interestingly, we have heard this from different factions standing on different sides of the fault line, but hey, it is catchy and it impresses people. The statue depicted in the ad is for the Phalangists in the Ain el Roumaneh - Chiyah (here). I am not sure, but the statue is done from empty shells, if these go back to the time of war or not is beyond me. Faint traces of the statue online indicate it was done by artist Sami Hatem.
All right, I have no idea why the aggressive stance, but seems Maggi needed to define its territory. "No everyone who does soup is a soup like Maggi". Well, the ad suggests that someone is trying to steal market share from Maggi because they definitely seem upset. I am trying to remember what other competing brand is doing soup but failing. So here goes, an attack with no enemy in sight.
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Beirut Beer has a good one (but as always one step forward two steps back sadly), the ad above is about "national unity". Well why not? My only gripe? This is NOT a comparative ad (please read my take on comparative ads in Lebanon here) so the logo of Almaza should not have been pixelated (again, Beirut Beer is not comparing itself to Almaza, but just saying that old and new should cohabitate... in a "national unity"). Now, at some point in the past Almaza was owned by Heineken (no longer) so perhaps Beirut Beer is riffing on that by saying "pick a "local one"" (which wehde watnaniye could also mean as a double-entendre). But I could be reading too much in a benign ad.
So recently I saw an AI ad coming from the region. I am trying to be generic in the description in order not to offend (too much). OK, so the technology is nascent so they are forgiven the few illogical glitches in the ad. But my problem was - the ad lacked a clear creative rationale, a logical construction (mind you a lot of Scandinavian ads lack construction but they are drop-dead funny that way!), a well-defined target audience, the soundtrack sucked, and honestly nothing can bring back the time I have invested watching this monstruous advertising. But hey, it was done on AI yada yada... People, if you have nothing to say, you don't have to say it via AI because honestly it is embarrassing and unfortunately, in advertising like any other creative field, you are as good as your last ad no matter how much you trumpet your achievement as this and that everywhere on the net, that ad sucked like many others. So please, just don't touch AI, that was a blemish on your resume.
It has been brought to my attention that the post seems like anti-AI because "AI is what to advertising what photoshop was at its beginning". Please note, what I am saying is, if you have nothing to say, then you have nothing to say no matter the technology used. These last 2 days I have seen anyone and everyone doing a "Studio Ghibli"esque photo of themselves. Yeah but show me the person who can do a Spirited Away and then we'll talk.
Oh and the image above? That's from the Matrix (you know the trilogy of films).... The above were sushi recipes from a cookbook that British graphic artist Simon Whiteley's wife owned (she was Japanese). Because sometimes, you need smartness and wit rather than AI to create something iconic and enduring.
Because am partial to excellent campaigns. I am super thrilled to announced that Pimo is continuing it "so that diabetes won't play with you" for the Onetouch glucose-testing machine! And now they are back appropriate festive visuals - and the diabetic in me is melting! But hey, if it ain't broke don't fix it. Another super campaign. Above is a mix of the new and old (dating back to circa 2020) visuals to celebrate the continuity.
Vaseline went to it is needed the most: The slopes! (here) Apart from all the activities and winnings and whatever what attracted me the most is the pure logic of it all. I mean if you are skiing (and no, I do not, still learning to walk without tripping) you definitely need hydration for your lips and skin and what not, so honestly the place is just super-logical for a product like Vaseline. So here we go, now Pimo has done it! As they say in French "il fallait y penser".
McDonald's has an offer for a "veggie burger" (the ad says "we picked you one") for a "limited time". Guess what the limited time is? Lent! Of course, there is no such mention of it, and also no mention of fish-o-filet which was literally invented at the time for Christians who abstained on meat on Fridays. So here we are are again, lent time but don't call it so. If interested about places mentioning lent go to Mr. Brown (here). Crepaway (here). and the first to mention the word in their ad in 2012 Classic Burger Joint (here).
Because this year Almaza went with a literal platitude (here), how about going back to the time when Almaza ads actually mattered with this beauty above. How Almaza came to personify "meh" in their ads is beyond me, but here we are. This year's ad is so unmemorable it is excoriating to see how much of a shrug they deserve. The ad above dates back to 2019. The one below to 2016.
Sorry I caught this late! Mink went for a brilliant Mother's Day ad (note I did not mention their Ksara effort which fell a bit short this year). For their own brand, Mink simply took their logo and added a "alef". Why? Because reading it right to left as Arabic does it ends up spelling... Emm. Or Mother. Genius as always!
Not content to sleep on its laurels for Mother's Day (here) Exotica just launched the Mother's Day translator. So if she says "this is a thunder" it means "this war plane doing sonic boom" if the says "hey you didn't phone today" it means "I miss you", and if she goes "OK, do as you wish" it means "no, and last but not least "don't get me anything" actually translates "don't forget the bouquet". As I said, Exotica are soooooo back!
OK, I admit, I am no beer specialist so it took me a while to understand what the product was. Apparently it is a "pineapple-flavored beer" brought to you by Laziza. Been a while since we last heard of Laziza which makes this re-entry out of nowhere. And again, the product is incredibly niche. But hey, what do I know. After the Beirut Beer Mexican (Mexbeer) which apparently was panned by anyone who understands beer (not me), let us hope this one is more in line with what it says on the outside. So here it is, pineapple-flavored Laziza.
Or I can simply say: I have no idea what they are saying.
I really don't. If anyone can translate am listening.
Today an ad for Apple pocked my interest. Called "the matchmaker". In typical Saudi culture, a matchmaker finds "a suitable groom" for the girl in question. See the film here. The ad marks a very clear shift to the GCC culture. But it was not the first. If you look at the ads above combined show that they are entrenched in an Arabic pseudo-slang way far from the super copywriting on the iphone 15 (here). I have heard clear rumblings that the brand has lost its direction with this copy. But my point of argument is elsewhere: These ads, if they bother the purists or do not, have zero effect on sales. And I don't say this negatively, but rationally. Apple will still sell by the bucketload. Women will still want the newest phone in their "mahr" or dowry. The newest Apple gizmos will still be a claim to bragging. Whatever the tone of voice of the ads is irrelevant.
Which of course begs the question:
Is advertising in any way related to sales?
Oh so this slipped through the cracks. BOB Finance placed an ad for Ramadan, well I shall spare you the technicalities but apparently you win gold by using their app. Apart from the - weirdly sensational - "Akram min min" on LBC, offers have been few and in between so noticing there is one is interesting this Ramadan. Actually BOB Finance went strict basic in both design and slogan - not that I have anything against considering one has very little time to see the ad on the highway billboards anyhow. Interestingly, transfer services such as BOB Finance have come to replace banks in Lebanon which has become almost strictly a cash economy.