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.

Al Kafaat keynote graduation speaker is none other than Dr. Jihad El Hokayem!

 Do I recall what the late Ghassan Tueni said on our graduation in 1996 at AUB? Actually, no. But then again, I am sure the graduates of Al Kafaat will do so with Dr. Jihad El Hokayem. So voila, a man with a mission for an institution with a mission. Al Kafaat is indeed not an ordinary mission in a country where universities grew like mushroom. And Dr. Jihad is indeed a very peculiar personality with his spearheading Rethinking Lebanon (which I have mentioned several times on this blog - here and here as examples). So it is a delight that both fit indeed! Pity I am not going to be among the audience, but I am sure I will get to read the speech!

Bechir Gemayel: propaganda for a presidency that never was

How easy it is to dream of something that never was. On September 14 1982 president elect Bechir Gemayel was assassinated, having been elected but never sworn in. In other words, technically he never had a tenure. You can read about his controversial election here. When told that the Muslim faction was not happy with his election, Bechir uttered his famous words: "Bokra byet3awado" (tomorrow they'll get used to it). Well, get used to it they did not simply because, well, he was assassinated.

Interestingly, the first news after the explosion was that Gemayel was alive and well and helping with the rescue efforts. Little by little, new started trickling in, that he was wounded, then gravely wounded, then eventually dead. The story goes they only recognized his remains by his hexagonal wedding ring.

I am not digressing, what am trying to say is that the man - whose leadership was basically to get rid of all the other Christian warlords to become the sole leader and ergo be last man standing - eventually got to be a president in the middle of a bloody civil war in Lebanon having worked back-up by Israel, and eventually Saudi Arabia and in extenso the Arab league. Pro-Syrian MPs were not on board though.

So it is interesting that the Lebanese Forces, the militia he formerly headed and which still exists, actually has a poster that goes "this is how presidents are (built)". Considering we never knew what kind of a president he would be, they assumed his presidency would be of an incredibly high caliber. Which, of course, bring us back to the idea that perhaps propaganda is wishful thinking more than anything else.

Saudi Odyssey: Comparatively this is a gem.

Visit Saudi. First the good points: BETC does a great job at making this... sort of sexy visually. The copy is incredible "this land is calling" followed by "Saudi welcome to Arabia" (akin to Malaysia truly Asia - whereby a nation encompasses a whole culture and a dig to all competitors who claim to show "Arabia" - no names, you know yourselves). This is also much much better than the Messi/messy effort (here), than the Neom brouhaha (here) even if Neom is included in this ad, or the Saudi Airlines (Saudia) ad with no arrival point (here). The minus points: I am not sure there is a cohesive thread here - never mind getting an actress who looks like a Natalie Portman (insert all Star Wars references here because the ad is called "Saudi Odyssey"), or the rather boring platitudes before the lovely line "this land is calling" (which are very ho-hum). The visuals however compensate for the lack of the strong concept I suppose.

Again, considering the oddities we were subjected to prior to this film, this one seems a gem indeed. Watch the film here. 

Ideas come from some place, no shame in that!

The Arne Jacobsen Chair? (here) The Ormond Gigli framing? (here) The fashion photoshoot which is clearly inspired by the Kasimir Malevich suprematism "the sportsmen series"? The Orbolu which obviously stems from the "blu(e) angel" by Marlene Dietrich and that incredible Milton Greene image which showed the actress as identified just by her legs?

Ideas come from place and there is no shame in that. Of course, there is a thin line between plagiarism or irony or tribute. Smart advertisers know the difference, cheap ones simply copy as is (no names but seriously, the idiocy had hit unthinkable treshold in Lebanon). All this without talking about some vague comparative/non-comparative ad which skirts the law without breaking it (here).

 Once more, I am blessed/cursed of having an enormous archive - both on my PC and in my mind. I can see where the ad generated, and sometimes (and here I go back to my own career) you just amalgamate 2-3 different inspirations, blend them, and voila, you have a "new" concept. 

Again, sometimes advertisers are too foolish, or have a large-ego. They refuse to admit that they were influenced by anything (some idiots say so about ads they clearly copied!). Well, nothing wrong with a bit of inspiration actually. You remember something and then dip it in a different sauce and there you are. I always go back to that example where, at the end of the egoiste perfume ad for Chanel, Jean-Paul Goude inserted the same type of Rolls Royce present at the bottom of the Ormond Gigli photo. Well, if there was ever a creative wink, this must be it!

So there is no shame if you borrow an idea and make it your own. As long as you don't stupidly copy.

Lux and Sunsilk and a glorious summer via Pimo and Joe Fish

Crisis? What Crisis? Am quoting Supertramp's album to make a point. Because sometimes, life goes on, whether we want it or not. Props to Pimo and Joe Fish for making the unthinkable happen - a fresh and lovely and freebie-laden summer for the ladies (whom I know they need it). I already spoke of both brands prior (ex: Lux here, and Sunsilk here) and here we are, despite the tumultuous political situation (which is an understatement if there was one!) both brands (and agencies) managed their activations flawlessly giving the consumer a small taste of normalcy where it was much needed. 

Again, sometimes brands spread positive energies and Lux and Sunsilk have done so, in - I repeat - some very challenging circumstances in Lebanon. Well, if this is not the purpose of a brand, then what it is for?

Audi Bank - tiptoeing around communication

Banks. Remember those? Well, in my case I have zero faith in them at this point. Considering that like many people I lost a fortune in them. So it was - with much surprise - that I saw a new ad for Audi Bank. Actually I saw it as a scroller on a site which pushed me to see if there was a longer version somewhere else. The longer version turned out to be 10 seconds which is telling I suppose. The ad is about cards and students studying abroad and how parents can send them money remotely, and monitor their spending. However, like anyone with a brain, I am leaning on cash since the crisis broke in 2019. All my clients pay me in cash or via a Western Union transfer. Because at this point, banks are a distant memory.

Medco vs. Slim oil: Compare and contrast

Image - Mix between a photo from Nibal Hadchiti Dfouni and Tarek Chemaly's archive

I am not saying they did, I am not saying they didn't. But I guess the repertoire of jokes/double-entendre is limited. Meet Slim oil (the slogan dates back from 2000 or 2001 and was still used up until 7 years ago), and Medco. The idea is "zeit" means "same" but also "oil". Naturally the Medco ad is way too recent whereas the Slim Oil has been there... forever. But hey, every new generation of advertisers thinks it is breaking the mould when it keeps repeating stories already told (and for the record it seems Medco has an offer on oil change - either you win gasoline or a trip!) 

My crystal ball applies only to advertising

Part of my installation "No Truce in Beirut, Only Virgins" (here)

Recently I wrote a post, "Jours tranquilles a Beyrouth" (here), and here we are right in the middle of back-to-school Lebanon is again, in the throws of war. Strangely, whenever the geopolitical situation gets testy or bleak, I have - relatively a lot of people - asking me "so, what do you think will happen?". Not sure if my infinite advertising wisdom of knowing what is inside advertisers' head however extends to politics or conflicts. Funnily, the late Andre Leon Talley - here - used to say he can see the images on the mood board of designers in the collection and know their influences, oddly, I can do the same to advertisers - my immense back catalog both in my brain and my archive can immediately spot which previous ad influenced them, but I digress. 

And now? Now no idea. The Iranian embassy was very clear (here). Revenge will happen. Was this the promised revenge - either from Hizbollah or the Iranians - I know not. All I know that we are again, very close to an all out war. The international press is all over this, each covering it from its biased angle (spare me the fair and free reporting lie). But does this influence anything on the ground? No, it does not. The field equation is separate from pundits.

Each side is now claiming the "damage was minimal" or "operation was a total success" (both sides are, as Hizbollah has caught up, if not bypassed, Israel in terms of mastering propaganda - not just to their loyal public but to the world at large). I have no possibility or clue of checking either claim - as I said, the press is covering it in a very biased way. 

Is this the beginning of an all-out regional war or is this an increase in skirmishes from both sides? Either way, I know not. My crystal ball seems to apply to advertising more than anything else.

Al Nassr scores a beautiful promo!

Whereas it is rare for me to talk about the creatives - well, props for Christopher Shearer and Them Again for this. Shearer who describes himself as " Celtic-obsessed lad from a tiny town" just came up with this beautiful promo for Al Nassr Football Club in Saudi Arabia. All right, all right, yes it is the same Al Nassr that signed Christiano Ronaldo (and yes, he is on board of the promo!) but thankfully not the center of it or anything. On the contrary, the visuals scroll from obsessed and obsessive fans (yes, that's football for you), in the yellow Al Nassr jerseys, the men and yes - women! (this being Saudi Arabia that took a while) - and that palpable thrill of the scoring, the players (not just CR7 thank you very much) and the archives and the way the old images pass by - never too retro but still indicating the past. And it all goes down so seamlessly until the Al Nassr/Adidas logos show up.

The beauty? The film does not stop there. It goes on with some children playing in some back alley as they often do. And guess which jersey the small kid that scores is wearing? Brilliant indeed! See the film here. 

So apparently I am the only one who thinks the L(IKEA) campaign is corny

I read much praise about it when posted. I still think the L(IKEA) campaign for - you guessed it - IKEA is corny. Do I like the sophomoric word-play? No. If a student came up with this would I encourage them to continue the thought? (Insert much shouting from my part after a 10 second calm before the storm). Long story short? Why did this campaign ever happen?

Worse? Who in their right mind shifted from the brilliant "where life happens" or the quirky "life is not an IKEA catalogue" to "between you and a better everyday" which is the downgrade of all downgrades. People, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. When you come up with great positioning and a way to sway customers don't get corny - which sadly this is.

And I am still trying to wrap my head around that non-effective L(IKEA) thingy.

Some casual anti-Hizbollah propaganda on the net

That is interesting.

I was looking at a website I browse daily and in a section about "the best printed t-shirts for men" were some ads in the middle.

Kitchen decor and storage.

Website looking for a new writers.

Anti-Hizbollah propaganda.

China textile exhibition.

Wait what?

There you go ads showed up on scrollers in that order. Actually there was a "read more" button. Which honestly I did not check because I was busy doing a screenshot of the ad above (you're welcome).

OK so for the ad:

(Screen 1)

"After every hit for its leadership, the confusion of Hizbollah goes out in the open and how permeated their ranks are"

(Screen 2)

"Is serving the purposes of the destructive Iranian agenda worth the losses the party is incurring in terms of sacrifices?"

All this reminds me of this campaign - here and here. Same questions - who is booking this and with what money? Sure, the purposes are known though. Are these changing the "hearts and minds" of people? I honestly doubt.

Shepard Fairey from Hope to Forward

Shepard Fairey has graced us with a new Kamala Harris image in the style of his inescapable Barack Obama one (I do hope he cleared the image this time as he went into legal issues with the original poster). Thankfully he also came up with a palatable slogan - forward. Indeed, it seems the Harris campaign slogan is "for the people". I am not even sure of that despite all my research, which is nice even if with a bit of communistic undertones (will she stand by unions? will she protect the little man in the face of large powerful companies? etc...). But hey, that's just politics and sloganeering. Which is why "forward" seems fitting. Short, powerful, encapsulating all the momentum Harris has garnered since she became the banner-carrier of the Democrats in this election (and yes, all the free press she garnered stealing someone else's thunder in the process - cough, ahem, no names). Still, Fairey seems to have caught the wave - interestingly, he did not do anything for Hillary Clinton back then. 

So voila, onwards and upwards and... Forward!

Almaza - expats ahoy!

So expats came and went (much earlier than expected for many), and expats never ended up coming due to the very entangled political situation. And Almaza is riffing rightfully on those who still are here. Heck, maybe it is even talking about those of us stuck here! "He who is still here raise your hand" - OK I admit it reminded me of the teaser revealer long long ago (Raise your head - raise your head and the revealer: Almaza raises the head (a double entendre in Arabic because you need to raise your head to drink and the Arabic equivalent of "makes you proud" - ارفع راسك - ارفع راسك - الماسة بترفع الراس) Small note all this happened sometime in the mid 90s so it's very old stuff.

Samir Chamas RIP

Artwork by Tarek Chemaly

Another great one leaves us. Samir Chamas passed away leaving behind a legacy of films, TV, but also cartoon dubbing (Baba Sanfour or Papa Smurf being the most iconic). Whereas he was cast in different characters, I will always remember his as the villain in which he excelled. Also Chamas belongs to that old breed of actors with impeccable pronunciations, very deliberate "makharej al 7ourouf" (or how letters are uttered), and a specific timbre of voice. As I said, his legacy is too varied, too long and he graced us with so many works. RIP. 

3MPlast goes for what is worthwhile

3MPlast has apparently what amounts to a new campaign for its models. You can see the ads online (here for Sun Lounge, here for Pandora, here for Queen, here for Havana). I have a tendency to think the ads were done in house. They are, at best correct. Now the ads also run around a very specific packshot copy:

بتضاين، مريحه، و خرج (Sun Lounge) Long-lasting, comfortable and worthwhile

حلوه، مرتبه، و خرج (Pandora) Beautiful,  presentable and worthwhile

ناعمه، بتضاين، و خرج (Queen) Smooth, long-lasting, and worthwhile

مرتبه، مريحه، و خرج (Havana) Soft, comfortable and Presentable, and worthwhile

As you can see the adjectives are rather repetitive. Now what is interesting is another ad I found for - what I think is the Pandora model:

"It is all plastic, but worthwhile" - in this context there is a "but" which is actually a little odd. As if 3MPlast is anticipating that the consumers won't be convinced that plastic could be worthwhile - note that this does not figure in the campaign above. Interestingly, the other ad has the same typography and the same concept "worthwhile" which definitely indicates that it came from the same place for the same client (the photo seems to be a screenshot from the Pandora model ad).

On the whole some effort was injected in this. And whereas the factory seems to be in south Lebanon apparently one can buy online from their website (here). 3MPlast has tried to sell its products differently in the past (here) and if I were to pick I'd go for that other earlier campaign. 

Wait did Beirut Beer just take a page out of the Almaza book?

Photo credit Rabih Dib

How about that for an answer! Remember I already spoke about Almaza stressing its Lebanese identity (here), apparently this did not sit down well with Beirut Beer. So they launched a counter ad "In Lebanese this is Beer". Long time ago I wrote a post about Beirut Beer growing out of the shadow of Almaza (here) strange, they twist and turn and go back to the same place. Why I know not. But truly when Beirut Beer stood on its own two feet (here) there was something interesting happening. Finally the brand was looking intrinsically at its own merits over and above being the anti-Almaza. Sadly, it was more of a one off than anything else. 

The Belfour promise and the silliness of the Arabs

The above image comes from my installation "No Truce in Beirut, Only Virgins" (here). Has Lebanon had a checkered history with the Palestinians? Indeed we have. Have we paid an exorbitant price in the process? We have, indeed. Does this deter us from being human? Judging by how the Lebanese (well, most of them I think though no statistics are available) no, it does not. I will still let you ponder about that campaign on the streets about Lebanon not wanting war (here and here) and I ask again who placed them and with what money and who is funding this.

However this does not deter us from easy talk and empty gestures and useless political discourse. The two images above come from an manifestation that happened in Beirut. The story was told to us (as a class) by our Arabic teacher. Therefore I have no specific dates for it. But the gist of the story is that the beginning of the manifestation the slogan being shouted was "fal yaskot wa3d Belfour" (may the Belfour promise be annulled) and at the end of the manifestation? "fal yaskot wa7ad min fow2" (may someone from above be toppled). If you say these two sentences aloud, they sort of rhyme, especially through an Indian telephone that a manifestation becomes. The point is, people just wanted to join the action, not caring what the message was. 

And yet these are "malayeen" (the millions) that singer Julia Boutros deplored in her song (here). And again, Lebanon and Beirut were the hub of the pro-Palestinian movement. So if this was the hub, what to say of the Others? Those who, not only did not do anything, but were in tacit support.

Iranian embassy in Beirut goes for Surah Ad-Dukhan, Aya 16

Image source here

Surah Ad-dukhan, Aya 16. 

These words might mean nothing to you, and until I researched them they didn't either to me. Make no mistake, this is something very heavy though.

Let me recap, the holy Quran is divided into Surahs and each has Ayas. The above is a large mural placed on the airport road which, want it or not, falls in the area controlled by the Hizbollah and it comes from the Ad-Dukhan (smoke) Surah (chapter), Aya (Verse) 16:

يَوْمَ نَبْطِشُ الْبَطْشَةَ الْكُبْرَىٰ إِنَّا مُنتَقِمُونَ

For the day when we are hit the big hit, we are revengeful.

Apparently it is the "Iranian embassy" which placed the above ad/photo on the airport road. The panel depicts the slain leaders, Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas, Iranian Quds Force chief Qasem Soleimani, and Hezbollah senior commander Fuad Shukr with the headline that got shortened to "we are revengeful".

Well, a word to the wise... Watch out. But also, I do hope this does not mean more destruction in Lebanon. At this point, anyone's guess is as good mine though.