Advertising awards should be a byproduct not the aim.

Recently for Saudi Day (September 19) Heinz went brandless and colored itself with the colors of the Saudi flag. The aim was to express "our irrational act of love to join our Saudi consumers in celebrating the Kingdom with its rich culture, heritage, and unity,” according to Passant El Ghannam, Head of Marketing at Kraft Heinz MEA. I can already see the case presented to advertising awards - "we allowed consumers to scan QR codes to share their own messages of pride, we hired in situ calligraphers to personalize the bottles so as for consumers to keep one-of-a-kind mementos, and sales grew by (insert impressive number here)". The whole thing reeks of advertising awards rather than a normal campaign targeted towards consumers.
A long long time ago (2003 to be specific), an agency in KSA I was working in was contacted by newspapers telling them that GMC was launching a massive campaign the next day. Since we represented Toyota they wanted to know if we were going to launch anything ourselves. That same day - a statistic fell into our lap: KSA was the second worldwide owner of Toyota Landcruiser per capita in the world after Japan. The client servicing threw it at us and literally gave us about ten minutes to get an ad done as he was off to visit the client. I raked my brains and came up with the Al Mutanabi verse:
وتصغر في عين العظيم العظائم
And the greater things seem insignificant in the eye of the mighty.
I asked if there was a photo of a Landcruiser in the Saudi desert at night and slapped a text that went that went - we had nothing to do with it, it was all because of you (the consumer) and went on profusely thanking Toyota Landcruiser owners for their loyalty, good taste, faith etc, etc.
To say that the ad took the kingdom by storm the next day was selling it short. The GMC campaign was simply not talked about while every Saudi was congratulating themselves for picking a Landcruiser. Maybe, it today's world this might be an "award-winning" ad. But who cares? The end clients loved it, felt pride in it, of course it does not hurt that the agency client (Toyota) approved it swiftly and was also incredibly pleased with it.
But this is what is happening these days - every other ad is thought of as an award-winning contestant rather than one aimed at the end client, who will buy, take pride, be faithful to the brand, and hopefully will propagate by word of mouth to people he/she knows or cares about. Because awards should not be the aim of an ad, or any ad campaign. Sure, if it does produce awards so much the better, but focusing solely on ads above the precedence of targeting the consumer is truly like putting the cart before the horse.
I said it again and will say it once more, every ad has three purposes no matter what brand it represents: to introduce a product, to entice the consumer to want it, and to tell the consumer that the product is available in the market.
Winning awards is not part of the initial plan.

It's raining again... Sadly

Artwork by Tarek Chemaly

So it's raining again. No, this was not the first all-cleansing autumn rain. But it is raining at the most inopportune moment. People are literally living on the streets. Sure - easy for me to say. I have a roof above my head and food on my table. I just gave some mattresses and wraps to a family that has been displaced twice - I said it before, even in the most generous act there is an element of selfishness (will I be rewarded by life, God, the afterlife, etc....). But honestly, at this point I am not even thinking that. I am truly thinking - I have a bed. I do. They don't.

A while back I saw by accident a friend from school. He wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer and everyone used to mock him, except me to be honest. It was him who remembered me and engaged in a conversation. In the previous month to our conversation, he had lost his sister, and his father. Comparatively, all I lost was all my money. It seemed ridiculous to tell him so. He obviously needed to tell someone about his losses. I felt sheepish talking to him, mostly because he actually remembered me, and wanted to talk to me after all these years (of course, maybe he also wanted to speak to those who bullied him as well, kind and primitive as he was, so I am not really bragging).

Did I make a big deal about losing all my money on this blog? I did. But now I look around me and see all these flattened houses and villages and images of people living on the streets. Literally. Of people sending messages for infant formulas. Diapers. Hygiene products. One is rendered speechless. And rain comes at the most inhospitable of times. To quote the Supertramp song on which the title of this post is based: "It's only time that heals the pain/And makes the sun come out again" but time is a luxury some people do not have as they sleep under the rain - I think of the photo of the little girl sleeping on cement in front of a mosque due to lack of a mattress. I also quote from a different song, this time by Roger Hodgson (the voice of Supertramp, ironically! when he branched out on his own): "Time is always on the run/we've only just begun"... And all seems fleeting.

But as I said, I have the luxury of a roof above my head and a bed to sleep on.

UNDP goes for anti-fake news

UNDP is trying to combat fake (or unauthenticated) news. In a ad on double screens on Instagram UNDP went "count to ten before sharing an unauthenticated news" and "count to ten before believing au unauthenticated news". Obviously, with Lebanon having so many channels, radios, media each trying to propagate its own version of events, some of them happened, some of them not, it is only fair for the UNDP to go with this ad especially that many people now get their news from social media, where clicks and likes and eyeballs reign much higher than confirmed news - so speed goes above all, and damn fact checking. For a small anecdote as to how different channels tell the same story here's one from the archives (here).

And so Hizbollah is alive (according to Iran that is)

Please note, I am not here to promote ideas, conspiracies, geopolitical theories or what not (by this I mean the one that is being paddled whereby Hassan Nasrallah and the Hizbollah leaders were sacrificial lambs in a major deal between US and Iran). All I am saying is, there is an ad that is doing the rounds straight from Iran that goes "Hizbollah is alive" with some beautiful Persian calligraphy and the photo of none other than (non-alive) former head of the Hizbollah. Interestingly, these were done, approved, hanged even before there was any confirmation about the fate of Nasrallah from a formal communique (which well, makes you wonder, when they knew what they knew). Whereas it does not show in the photo, they did use the Hizb yellow background (but the original image is a bit skewed). So here we are, the tale - apparently - goes on, with an understudy of the main actor.

Anyone who says they know what is going to happen is lying

Artwork by Tarek Chemaly (2018)

Another post with a long title. But again, I could not avoid it. I was talking offline to political scientist, a real one not one of those silly talking heads that pop up on TV and start guessing, and he said "no one knows what is happening, this will change from hour to hour" - already the seismic shock of the admission of the death of Hassan Nasrallah by Hizbollah has sent shockwaves on all fronts, not least of all internal. The repercussions of losing such a seasoned player is akin to when Rafic Hariri was assassinated in 2005, It was a puzzle whose parts were thrown in the air and now being recofigured, in a different shape, with a different picture, and same players minus one. But again, just like Hariri had a firm grip on the constituents of the state, same goes for Nasrallah.

And obviously, this begs the question - now what? Late writer John Le Carre once said "society is unconcerned with the aftermath of sensation." We are now on the front pages of newspapers, worldwide, but soon a different crisis will emerge and dethrone us. And if we are going to count on the Lebanese politicians, who have proven to care for no one but their own interests (though, truth be told, their longevity in the business might prove they are doing a good work taking care of themselves - except well, those who were assassinated) then we might be stuck in the same loop.

Because as it is half a million people have fled the south of the Lebanon occupying as many governmental schools as possible (schools which are not equipped to handle them), and - whereas a lot of people are doing splendid work on the ground distributing mattresses and food for them, already the Lebanese society is stretched to the extreme between the financial, political, and economic crash it has been facing since 2019 - not to mention the influx of Syrians who fled their own country for obvious reasons. And now we are at the gates of winter, and people's goodwill shall soon dry up.

Which brings us back to: Anyone who says they know what is going to happen is lying.

Shopping (but make it with a conscience)

In her brilliant book "Beirut fragments" author Jean Said Makdisi wrote about an anecdote whereby she saw her friend, in Hamra, all coiffed. The friend told her about her hairdresser who bought a generator and provided electricity to his shop and women were all getting their hair done. All bang in the middle of war-torn Beirut during the 1982 invasion (where no shred of electricity was present). But Beirut has always been the epitome of contradictions. Airstrikes you say? Yes, waiter please bring me some... And here we are, both PopUp Concepts and Pearl Brands (which among others sell Ralph Lauren) are donating 10% of their sales to displaced people. I mean, a Vetements uber expensive t-shirt at 70% off (only size XS and M available mind you) would be a wonderful addition to your wardrobe, and, it would provide blankets, mattresses, or whatever displaced people need. Let's call it shopping with a conscience. Or retail therapy, because if anything the Lebanese need, it would be therapy indeed.

Happy should learn how to read the room

So people are not happy and for a reason. Happy, the discount supermarket, with a logo that has a smile built-in decided to invert the smile on an ad hooked onto one of its branches with the following line being inserted into a reel "hard days will be over, and the smile will come back". Remember that famous ad by Johnnie Walker? The one that was done in 2006 with the motto "keep walking" but the emblem walking following a broken bridge? (here) One was a masterpiece, the other a flop. The difference is timing. Johnnie Walker did their after the fait accompli, while Happy seem to be gaining from the tragedy as it happens live in an opportunistic way. Happy should really, really learn how to read the room... As people were having none of it.

Pain d'Or goes back to school (sort of)

Well, back to school is no longer back to school. Considering the gravity of the current situation schools - those that opened anyhow - have switched to online learning so did universities. But hey, we are at a stage where any ad is worth talking about considering how far and few in between they are. Is the ad above earth-shattering? No not really. Believable? With a school bag labelled "pain au zaatar" (thyme bread), also not really. Is the gimmick in the copy interesting? Pack to school might as well pack it. And yet, when there are barely any ads this one sticks like a sore thumb. But suddenly all sore thumbs seem welcome.

Dear ad agency, now that you saved democracy, can you bring peace to Lebanon?

La colombe de la paix - Pablo Picasso

I know this is a long post name but could not stop myself.

A certain local ad agency, no names but anyone versed in the advertising scene knows who it is, has - in a case sent to ad festivals on behalf of its client (a prominent local newspaper, again, no names, but come on the hints are too heavy!) - that, by doing a certain activation (which was also very questionable, as it was done prior by other newspapers including one in Turkey), they "saved democracy in Lebanon".

Sure, ads presented to festivals and awards can include boastful claims, like that agency that claimed that its activation for the client (different activation than the one cited above, same client, same agency though) increased female participation as candidates by 600% in Lebanese elections, etc, etc... I sometimes read the cases on Epica Awards where I am a juror since 2016 and have a laugh about the bragging.

But of course, claiming to save democracy goes on a higher level. Who came up with it remains a mystery but this became a benchmark in what not to do in terms of strutting your stuff. Interestingly, every once in a while this comes up on sites like Linkedin - and we all have a hoot about it - so much it sets precedent to how far you can go believing what you have done and communicating it to the world thinking they are gullible to your words.

Which of course brings me to today. Dear ad agency, now that you saved democracy, can you bring peace to Lebanon? I mean all you have to do is just an activation to your client, that's not too much to ask, is it?

Cross-eyed god (praying to the)

Artwork by Tarek Chemaly

(Originally written in 2010)

Sometimes I feel like a childless mother, a long way from home, hiding into the church of the saint that does no miracles, praying for the cross-eyed god who’s not even worthy of a capital g,

The all seeing, see no evil, the omnipresent, hear no evil, the omnipotent, do no evil: Not doing is an act in itself. Laissez-faire in the name of the cowardice – look at me when I speak to you.

Avoidant personality and no decision is a decision in itself, just file everything under “natural disaster” or “le mal terrestre” – something that never contradicts your kindness, your infinite kindness – damn it, I said look at me when I speak to you.

No words could do you justice, just like the justice you have never done yourself. But who cares? A big PR firm to make your image glossy – repeated message, repeated dogma, repent all you sinners. Now repeat after me the story so far.

The HORRORscopes of being in Lebanon

And so here we are.

Here we are. My friend said yesterday "chidd 7alak" (get a grip). The problem is that the war trauma went back to the surface with a vengeance. You can run from the war, but war catches you back. You can pretend normalcy as most of us do but the wound is still there. Some of us, nay, most of us, have no luxury to break down - we have responsibilities and lives to live and moral acts vis a vis people dependent on us. Of course, all this comes on the heels of the financial, political and economic breakdown since 2019, with covid on top, and all other factors compounding what is going on.

And still, we protect ourselves in the mundane, in the day to day, in the morning coffee, and in the cooking, and in the back-to-school related activities, and in the browsing, heck, in the shopping even (second hand, over the net, thrifting, no matter retail therapy can be a band-aid), in checking our daily horoscope, or whatever we do to pretend that our day is going to be cheerful - when obviously, already it is not.

A friend in Germany is displeased and having "mental issues" - I told him it was a good thing there was geographical distance between us, because honestly I was this close to hitting him. The Bavarian government provides him with anything he needs, including a house, a once-a-week maid, stipend, counsellors to help him and what not. Seriously, the luxury some people have is truly unbeknown to them.

Sure, I am neither in the southern suburb of Beirut, or the south or any "hot points", but simply living in Lebanon at this point drives you to the abyss of exhaustion. If you have an ounce of conscience or empathy that is. Which, believe it or not, many people do not have - case in point a lot of people are rooting for Israel among the Lebanese.

I remember so long ago Sawt Loubnan would blast Maguy Farah's daily "hazzak el yawm" (your luck today) and its catchy jingle. So, where is astrologer Maguy Farah when you need her?

The Private revolution by Sanita

Well, considering I am not the target audience of these ads I am not sure my words count (in the words of Rachel Green in the sitcom Friends "no uterus, no opinion"). Still, apparently these two films did make a splash online (you can watch them here and here). Obviously Sanita (the maker of Private) goes directly to the main idea - how soft, flexible, innovative, comfortable, and protective Private (or rather the new Private) is). It shows it by using cotton, feathers, tulle fabric and ballerinas. In the second film it shows a cocoon that becomes a butterfly and then cut to the ballerina doing a pointe. All colors are pseudo-blurry very feminine (duh!) quite cosy and dreamy (do note, Private is a brand of sanitary pads so periods for women can be difficult, tiring, hard, and very painful so the suggestiveness of Private is done on purpose).

As I said, I am not targeted by the ads but from what I understood it's that women online and social apps were actually chatting about them. Also there is a hashtage #the_private_revolution to go with the new iteration of the product. 

Joe Lux vs Johnnie Walker: Compare and contrast

I am not saying they did, I am not saying they didn't but I had to do a full second look to believe my eyes. Well, ironically, Joe Lux is a hand-made shoe manufacturer who makes you a... walker?

Lay's - the ad that backfires

Strange, I had to see the ad too many times to make sure of my reaction and the more I saw it the more I thought the same: I am repulsed and not having a Lay's potato chips any time soon. I mean it is not the fault of the director but somehow something literally got lost in translation. I think on paper this made sense: a small packet of Lay's is replaced by a bigger one. But everything from the casting, to - why use the English in a GCC ad? - to the whole episodes (which are not real slices of life), to the whole "gimmicky" effect, to that 80s slapstick effect (without the 80s nostalgia to go along) just is... annoying beyond measure. Sorry am being too harsh but as I said, this ad backfires: I just don't feel like having a Lay's right now. Which sadly, is the reverse of everything advertising related I presume. And please don't let me start on that corny copy at the end (I thought these were done with in the early aughts!). See the film here.

On teaching....

"Tarek, what have you done to my daughter?" I could not place the tone of voice of the woman on the phone - fear? no, threat? neither.

But first the daughter. In 1997 right bang in the middle of my military service, a couple told me their niece was in dire need of math lessons. The child, I think she was 9 years old, was something like I have never seen before. Her face was white marble, inexpressive, not letting an iota of feeling seeping out. When I sat next to her on the children's table where she was studying, I was looking at her face trying to figure out anything that expressed if she understood or not. And there it was - a small, very very unnoticeable wrinkle of the left nose. Indeed, she did not understand. I tried explaining differently, and no wrinkle. She did the exercise.

Her last math grade was 6/20. So the best aim was for her to go to 10/20 or the average. So bit by bit as the sessions continued, we had a code - "tope la!" (give me 5) when she managed to do a difficult exercise. And so it went until the last session before the final. I gave her a tough one I knew she was able to resolve, and there it was - the wrinkle. I panicked, "what? what? what is it you do not understand?". True to herself, she did not say anything, she just pointed out to a word: Allumettes. I ran to the kitchen to ask her mother for a box of matches, she gave me one and upon my return, I said - "you know what forget it, you what that is?" I pointed to the truck thrown among her toys. She nodded, so I said "every time there is a word you do not understand, just replace it by camion" (truck). She nodded again.

Which brings us to the famous: "Tarek, what have you done to my daughter?" which the woman M. asked again. "M. listen, tell me what is wrong, how bad is the situation?" the call came two weeks after the famous last teaching session. "Tarek, my daughter, yes my daughter (emphasis hers) had an 18.5/20 on her math final" - this is when I decoded the tone of voice: incredulity. "Give me 5 minutes and I will be there!" "Yes come, I made a cake!". As I entered the house, I immediately went to the girl's room, who, again, was unfazed by all the fuss - "tope la!" - she gave me 5 and continued playing with her toys. Sadly, the cake was not tasty though.

Here is another incident - this time at university. We were doing the Lacoste brand wheel and we were at the personification level. Who was the person to best embody the brand. The whole class was giving a simultaneous cacophony of answers, then I raised my hand. The whole class fell silent, except for one student who did not see the signal - his friend shoved him with the elbow to silence him. I scanned the whole class and I zeroed in on a student sitting on the first row. "You, what did you say?". The "you" in question was four times my size, while actually sitting down. He mumbled something. "Speak. Up. What. Did. You. Say?" - he took a deep breath, all while shaking like a leaf, and threw the words as if they were his last "Barack Obama". What followed were my 10 seconds of silence after which either I would scream "go up with your stupid idea to the fourth floor and throw yourself with it" (said in jest but it means "think before say anything" and yes, kids would smile at this) or something very very encouraging. What I said was - from the top of my lungs - "you kick boy! Yes! Yes!" and the whole class erupted in cheers so much that poor Youssef, the concierge of the floor had to close the door of the class because we were disrupting the other sessions nearby.

Which brings us to Youssef. One time, I was walking through the floor, hurrying up, not because am late but this is how I walk, and I saw Youssef coming the other way. Actually the more I progressed the more I realized Youssef was coming towards me. And blocking my way. Now, Youssef is huge (OK, fine, I am small, but by all metrics he is huge). Youssef is also illiterate but also kind. My first reflex was "what did do wrong and why does the dean tell Youssef he wants to see me?". But what happened was that Youssef said "You. You are a great teacher". I smiled but replayed in my mind all the instances where the poor man had to close doors due to the excitement generated in my classes.

Here is another anecdote. One time, I was having a coffee in the cafeteria and a female student whom I had taught a semester earlier comes to my table to and says "we are not having a bar at my future house". I smiled sheepishly and said "I am not sure I understand, but... congratulations?". The girl understood and said "Oh! Oh! I need to explain". First rewind to the semester where I taught her, I picked her from her group because I knew she was bad at public speaking. Bad was an understatement, her hands were shaking violently and her voice unintelligible. The scream I sent startled even me. "Can I touch you?" she said yes. I put my hand at the small of her back, told her to straighten her shoulders, explained to her that this brings in a lot of air to the lungs so she can say many words at once. "Now try again". The hands were still shaking violently, and the voice still unintelligible. I held the paper she was reading from and told her to try once more. She did and bang! The sentence was clear, audible, and comprehensible. I looked at two people from two different groups and asked them if they knew what she was going to say, they answered negatively and so I looked back at the girl and said "see, you know what you are going to say, they don't, you're already two steps ahead of them!". 

Which brings us to the cafeteria. "You remember that session in the course?". I profusely apologized for my scream. "No! No! You know ever since my session my fiance was telling me I finally had a voice. Everything he suggested before I was simply agreeing to, and since then, I discovered that my opinion matters as much as anyone. He wanted to install a bar at the house, and I was having none of it. And he said - I am glad you changed, you now argue and give your opinion! I think it started in that session". 

Of course, this is also a double-edged sword. I mean that by saying that at one point, I noticed a brilliant student underperforming in a session. At the end of the class she approached me and said "can I talk to you?". "Anything the matter?" she blurted the sentence out: "my mother has cancer, she told me yesterday, no one knows though". How one reacts to such a sentence remains without a rulebook, I assure you. I hope my own reaction was correct. But this is also the other side of the coin. When students know they can confide in you, sometimes to guide them, sometimes because no one else is there to listen.

Well, the other day, out of curiosity, I googled back my math student. She is thriving, in the US, the face is still white marble, but a huge smile adorns her face. I cannot take credit for any of it, but somehow, I was actually pleased that at one point, I made a difference.

I remember all of this, today, upon reading the story of how Albert Camus was picked by his teacher, "Monsieur Germain" who convinced his analphabet parents that he should go to school. A long time ago I read an ad for teach.org which went "you don't need to be famous to be unforgettable". Two weeks ago I spoke to a student I taught in 2005 or 2006, and he told me he was talking about me to a classmate a couple of months back. Well, to some, I am indeed unforgettable. For this I am thankful.

Stop bragging, no one cares about your awards.

 

Self ad - published in Lebanese newspapers in 2005

I just saw a video for an agency, bragging how much awards they collected this year. The friend who sent it, insisted "numbers matter", to which I asked (seriously): "For whom?".

Am truly serious, who gives a damn. Your site activation? Forgotten, if at all noticed. Your 30 seconds that you ran around midnight just to fulfill the conditions of entering the award show? No one saw it. Your campaign for a civic cause which seem to mushroom right before major award shows which change nothing on the ground and which no one paid attention to in real life? Well, they change nothing on the ground. Your rebranding for an obscure brand which no one knows? As if seriously this tilts how consumers buy. That silly case you presented whereby - and I kid you not - a brand claimed it "saved democracy in Lebanon"? Yeah right, thank you, next. 

And the list goes on, and on, and on.

All right, let me ask this question: Who is the creative director of Chanel? Yes, that Chanel. Most of you do not know, or might say - as if you know the secret of the universe - Karl Lagerfeld. Well, newsflash, Lagerfeld passed away and was succeeded by his right hand woman Virginie Viard who left/was sacked (depending on which story you believe), and now? Chanel currently has no creative director.

Does that influence the bragging right of a woman who spent a fortune on a Chanel boy bag? Or a pair of ballerinas? Or whatever? Let me ask you this other question - who is the creative director for the menswear line of Hermes? Again, that Hermes. It is the same person since 1988 - the incredible Veronique Nichanian. But again, do you know? Do you care? Does it influence when you chose to gift your significant other a (beautifully-designed) cashmere sweater? No, it does not.

And again, same applies all over the place - no one gives a hoot about the statues you won or accumulated. I remember this agency which had a huge, huge row upon row of awards stacked behind the welcome desk on glass scaffoldings. Need I tell you what happened to them after the explosion of August 2020 in Lebanon? 

So people it is fine, congrats on the awards, no one gives a toss though!

So Pepsi zero has a new strange ad.

Blink and you'll miss it. No seriously, took me about 6 trials just to take one screen shot so much the ad is quick - and see how quick it is, the bottom timer scroller is still on. But apart from "open and win" (yes, I know, the 90s called and they want their offer back), Pepsi which is now solo in the market now that Coca-Cola quit the Lebanese market (here) and which held strong among the Gaza callouts (apparently Pepsi was in the Israeli team), does not do much ads (see their last all-star pan-Arab encompassing one - here) on the Lebanese scene. So this one came a bit out of nowhere - can't link the full ad as it is just one of those several seconds before youtube videos. Still, the above is the packshot.

Now the headline is a bit peculiar - "the zero now has a taste" which is akin to shooting yourself in the foot (meaning the old one did not have a taste at all?) "original taste, zero sugar". Once more, a little strange, but I guess who cares, as if all else is logic in Lebanon!

Porsche Design goes back to school

It has been a a very silent back to school period in terms of advertising. The CSR from Kipling (here), the ho-hum from Maliks (here), and that's pretty much about it. So far, and correct me if I am mistaken no campaigns for (relatively cheap) backpacks, or other assorted related items (I think of Picon - here - or Al Taghziah - here or Bic - here). Perhaps it is a question of budget, or a question of lack of effort to market, but this certainly this is not a case of OOH being expensive - here. Still, again, I stand corrected if there is some major campaign I missed related to the back to school.

Actually I was discussing this with someone and boom! In the evening he sends me the ad above. I had actually received the SMS but was not aware there was a visual associated as well So voila... Let's be realistic, when your car is a Posrsche Taycan what sort of a backpack will your bring your kid? And honestly, when you drive such a car, do you really need the 10% offered? I digress because hey, statistics indicate that even the uber wealthy like a discount (seriously, studies have shown that!).

Just to be clear, I own several Porsche Design items, so I am not throwing stones or anything here. But it seems fitting that the ad is presented the way it is.

Lush and the scent of Lebanon

A giant smell diffusing pot which is not AI? Yes please. And yes it is happening this weekend. Lush and Joe Fish went for over-oversize. Lush, inventor of bath bombs, has had no social media presence since 2019, so the challenge was to still make it out there, without being too chi chi about it. Apparently Lush are already on the ground with a shop in Beirut Souks which got hit severely in the 2020 explosion that destroyed Beirut as well as the ABC malls. Did it work? I believe it did. Now of course, this category is more "luxury" in Lebanon these days due to the state of the market and the consumer but what do I know? Perhaps it has a large chunk and I am not aware. Still, it is lovely to see them reach - literally - above and beyond. Apparently the pot is destined to smell like the Lush shops which you can detect hundreds of meters away.

So yes, Nike lost its way

Winning isn't for everyone (here). Sure, the copy was nice, the editing a far cry from its epic "You can't stop sport" (here). The ad above, which you need to read 6 times before getting it appeared yesterday. Compare this to the earth-shattering ads Nike did during the 1986 Atlanta Olympics (here). It tells you a lot that the two most hyped products Nike sent recently were the Bode Astro Grabber (here) and the LD-1000 it collaborated with Stussy on (here). That both the Astro Grabber and the LD-1000 were two of the oldest models ever launched by Nike says volumes.

Adidas struck gold with its terrace sneakers despite the small misstep of the SL72 (was it was misstep? Here). Sure no hype lasts forever, but Adidas so far is playing its hand very smartly with its Samba, Gazelle and SL 72 models. Instead of launching a billion variations of the Dunk and Air Force 1 as Nike did, it is rationing its output. 

But the proof is in the pudding as they say. The other day I was in a certain place and on the counter four people were dressed in On sneakers. Four, in a row. This does tell you that everyone is eating up from the Nike share in the market. Of course, it is still a behemoth. But that it self-inflicted its problems is also a known fact - cutting ties with major distributors to fortify is direct to consumer channel, lack of development of new innovative products, and the list continues.

Sure, as I said, they are still a giant. But remember when the mobile phone market was locked between Nokia and Blackberry? Or when in the 70s and 80s Pony was literally the biggest sports brand in the world (google it I am not kidding). Just to be clear, I am not forecasting the demise of Nike, but man they should tighten their screws because as is, something is rotten in the kingdom of Beaverton, Oregon.