Abaad comes up with a new rape awareness ad

Abaad comes with another rape ad.

Here.

Well, sadly I have said it before that Abaad (and Kafa - bot NGOs battling for women's rights) have gone too close to over-exposure (please read here) with Abaad almost getting the message correct in 2021 (here).Their ad this year means that there are still women being raped, harassed, subjected to violence, etc... which is bad news indeed. The only positive news is that they managed to do the ad prior to December and not very close to Christmas as is their usual timing.

And as usual there is a tag - for social media of course - to do along with it: لا_عرض_ولا_عار which sort of translates into "neither dignity nor shame" - "dignity" because one of the major causes of rape not being reported is how all this reflects on the dignity of the girl (and in extenso her family) because of the "shame" it brings them (if you read between the lines it's because her "fault" she got raped, as implicitly it is her who "seduced" him to do what he has done - yes, it is never his fault).

Long story short, it is sad Abaad has to do another ad - yearly - for rape reporting or prevention or awareness. But also and this is what worries me, say a woman goes and reports a rape... Isn't she going to be mocked by the agents who are taking her report, isn't she going to be subjected to harassments because it was her who gave him the wrong signals, who was wearing the seductive clothing, who had loose morals.... 

Which brings us to this 2018 Abaad ad...

Socks Factory excels in its World Cup ad

Ah did Socks Factory actually ace its World Cup ad?

My suspicion is that it did....

From a simple idea - advertise the passion for football rather than the product itself - the brand distinguishes itself with a stellar copy, a visual that does not throw shade on the concept and a minimal "product" presence (which obviously IS there!).

OK, before I go further please do watch the ad here.

Now, to go back to the genius of the copy which was neither simple nor overdone, there is also that element of a child putting on his cleats, who then morphs into the adult. The genius? Under the cleats are the ubiquitous socks which are actually the whole purpose of the ad.

But as I said, the ad puts focus somewhere else - on the game itself. Which "is not a hobby" it emphasizes but a "lifestyle"... And you know lifestyles are meant to be shared with the children - which brings us to the coup de grace - the man IS sharing it with his child... Who happens to be a girl.

RDCL spells independence and sells it short

When Prada -  yes, that Prada - did its "acronyms" campaign, basically everyone thought it was too basic for such a respected house and coming from such a luminaire as Miuccia Prada. Well, what do you know? RDCL has spelled Independence (Integrity/ Neutrality/ Decentralization/ Ethics/ Productivity/ Entrepreneurship/ Nature/ Dignity/ Energy/ Nationalism/ Coexistence/ Excellence) into separate words which are frankly too.... boring because basic and generic. The problem? It's that the denouement of the ad is actually quite decent: Independence is not a single word, independence is not a single day, independence is a constant journey giving justic to common values for a better future. Which is very good copy - except that it had to come after the less-than-interesting beginning sadly.

Joe Fish and a sarcastic Independence Day campaign

For a second my heart skipped a beat. My first reflex was "please, no, not another campaign of "I love Lebanon no matter what", I couldn't stand that". Thankfully Joe Fish delivered with a completely sarcastic copy-based campaign about - well, what's not functioning in Lebanon. Museums on every corner are supermarket shelves, after parties are trying to navigates staircases in buildings with a torch, winter group activities is trying to make it your home through the traffic jam on a rainy day, and the funny list continues. Thankfully this Independence Day came and went without the usual foray of brands dipping everything in flag colors. Which makes the Joe Fish campaign all the more refreshing.

Spotify KSA finds the perfect dig against Argentina

Well, in case you have not heard KSA has gone to shock Argentina by winning 2-1. A monumental shock in the football world. A "messi" result if there was ever one (har har).

But listen closely - again a pun - because it seems Spotify KSA found the perfect anti-Argentina dig.

In a very "innocent" pinned tweet Spotify KSA simply put "don't cry for me Argentina" - the famous song about Eva Duarte - on its account. Perfectly digging against Argentina all while simply claiming cherubic innocence.

Yes, this is how we do it!

FIFA World Cup in Qatar: What if Infatino is right?

Gianni Infantino - Artwork by Tarek Chemaly

File this under unpopular opinion.

In a speech one day prior to the opening of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, head of FIFA Gianni Infantino just made an "incendiary" speech. Anyone who is anyone basically went off against him.

OK to recap some of the things he said was "Today I feel Arabic. Today I feel African. Today I feel gay. Today I feel disabled. Today I feel [like] a migrant worker." All right, the then added when reminded the he feels "like a woman too". He also equated people laughing at him for his red hair and freckles growing up in Switzerland (as an son of Italian immigrants) with the plight of migrant workers.

Of course, on the face of it none of this makes sense.

But sprinkled in the 57 minutes long speech was - some things that made sense.

Well, all right, not to make excuses for the - anywhere between 6500 to 15000 - workers who died building the stadiums in which the games will be played, but Infantino said that at least Qatar accepted the immigrants and gave them work whereas Europe knowingly shut its borders in front of boats trying to access it while full of immigrants. His correct words were:

“Those who reach Europe, or those who want to come to Europe, they have to go through very difficult journeys. Only a few survive. So if you really care about the destiny of these people – these young people – Europe can do as Qatar did. Create some channels, some legal channels, to increase the percentage of these workers to come to Europe. Give them some work. Give them some future.”

About the whole thing about the LGBT fans, Infantino said: "You want to stay at home and say how bad they are, these Arabs, these Muslims, because it’s not allowed to be publicly gay. I believe it should be allowed. But it is a process. If someone thinks that hammering and criticizing will achieve something, well I can tell you it will be exactly the opposite. It will close more doors.” Naturally this does not solve the problem with the code 296 of the Qatar penal code which punishes male homosexuality with 5 years of prison, but when you think that it was actually the British rule which brought with it so many laws against homosexuality in Egypt when bisexuality was considered part of the rural fabric there.
The alcohol ban? Well, he said that if fans cannot stay 3 hours inside the stadium without drinking - which is something that happens in other nations, Infantino goes on to say: "The same rules apply in France, Spain, Portugal and Scotland. Here it has become a big thing, because it is a Muslim country? I don’t know why. We tried and that is why I give you the late change of policy. We tried to see if it was possible."

What Infantino said, and perhaps the way he said it was very very controversial. Oddly, I feel myself arguing with him. He makes sense. Yes, change is a process. And yes, there are very racist undertones to some of the criticisms. Again, I am not defending the death of these workers, but from what I understood from people in Qatar is that major changes happened to workers rights following the controversy. Once more, nothing is perfect, but.... Maybe Europe ought to look at itself in the mirror prior to start throwing stones. And not just Europe, the US as well come to think about it.

In the words of Infantino himself: "I think for what we Europeans have been doing the last 3,000 years we should be apologizing for the next 3,000 years before starting to give moral lessons to people."

And so there's a FIFA World Cup in Qatar just in case....

Photo by Tarek Chemaly (2007)

Well, so unless you have been living under a rock, probably you know that there's a FIFA World Cup being hosted by Qatar which will open on November 20th. 

Well, and also unless you have been living under a rock, you have most likely heard of the controversies.

Here are some in no specific order:

The thousands (estimates range between 6500 to 15000) of foreign workers of died of - wait for it - "natural causes" while building the stadia that will host the events.

The money that changed hands so as for Qatar to host the tournament (i.e. bribes). 

Article 296 of the penal code in Qatar stipulated five years of imprisonment over male homosexuality, and whereas there is no doubt homophobia is rampant in football, this still does make an incredibly odd situation for the LGBTQ community wishing to attend the events. 

Singer Dua Lipa made it perfectly clear she was not going to sing at the opening ceremony, neither will Shakira whose song Waka Waka (whereas released for the World Cup in South Africa in 2010) still reigns supreme as an anthem for the World Cup at large. Rod Stewart said he was offered a million Dollars to perform but declined.

And get this, Budweiser one of the FIFA main sponsors is in a tight spot - apparently 500 mls of beer will set you back about 14 Dollars - but now it seems that alcohol sale will be banned altogether inside the stadia with Budweiser even questioning how much its logo will be displayed during the tournament (just to be clear Bud zero is still allowed to be sold as it is Islamicaly compliant). Just in case you are wondering how Budweiser feels about it, it tweeted "well, this is awkward". The tweet was deleted subsequently.

The above are but a sample of the issues revolving around the current World Cup.

Now, if you are in Lebanon, basically a country literally falling apart at the seams at this point, and where the Brazil/Germany football dichotomy reigns supreme, there is still right now little to no attention around the issue. People are much more focused towards the floundering economy, their ability to literally survive the month, being able to secure food, and other such basic necessities.

 So I guess this saves the Lebanon one more dilemma of whether to watch the World Cup or not (as of now, teleliban still does not have the right to broadcast the tournament but 2 days is a long time in Lebanon).

The little prince and/in me

His hair had the color of the wheat fields - Artwork by Tarek Chemaly (2001 - reworked 2022)

So it happened again last week.

For the umpteenth time someone said that I reminded him of the Little Prince. The first time it happened if I recall correctly was the year 2000.

Yes, that Little Prince. The Antoine de St. Exupery one. The one who came out of nowhere (actually from asteroid B 612) to annoy the hell out of the author who was stuck in the desert trying to fix his plane.

Now, what it is about me that reminds people of the titular character?

This is where things get murky.

I think, despite my age, my intelligence, all the lovely (and not so lovely) things that happened in my life, despite all the experiences, there is still - underneath - a lot of naivete in me. I admit it, I can truly be a bit... simple (yes, take it as you wish - either positively or negatively). For all my complexity, my deep thinking, there is truthfully someone simple inside. I can get enthralled by very "basic" things - I go back to the net looking for hours at, who knows? 70s shirts? The sweater from the Dior x ERL collab? A poem by Khalil Hawi?

Also, despite the many things I have gone through, there is no malice in me. Many people accused me of evil, or harboring very intricate machinations and having veiled interests - believe me this is not the case. Sure, I have a lot of pride (and am very stubborn) and words like "values" and "integrity" mean a lot in my lexicon, but truth be told, I honestly have no malice in me.

Also, I am not a good liar. Yes, I know what you are going to say: This is your first lie then. Seriously, I find it incredibly difficult to lie. You know harmless questions that people ask suddenly get convoluted answers. A normal "how are you?" gets "well, I was just out at the supermarket and...." there are no platitudes such as "fine thank you". Of course, not being able to entertain small chit chat upsets people and baffles them but ask me a question and you get a truthful answer. Now of course, my students used to get very very truthful answers. 

And another similarity with the Little Prince? When I ask a question I never forget I asked it. And if someone is trying to get away from answering it, they will be badgered - repeatedly - about the question. Whenever I do not understand I cannot let go of. That simple.

Well, but all of this is just... speculation. No idea really why people tell me I remind them of him.

This being said, the few who managed to "tame" me...These people can look at the color of the wheat fields and appreciate it differently.

Self-branding: Noblesse Difficile as an example

The poster above appeared in 2008 for a woman posting her candidacy for the Beirut municipality as an independent. Her name is "Nabila Mohammad Saab" Fathallah (Fathallah being her married name). Her main slogan (in French mind you) was "noblesse difficile" - how come? Well "nabila" is "noble" and "saab" is "difficult" as a direct translation. Put 2 and 2 together or name/surname together and what do you get? "difficult nobility" or "noblesse difficile". Underneath there were plenty of hearts printed on pink papers.

"Faith in God and the country (heart) education and culture (heart) Love and affection 

A  complete building = man + woman"

The image above is obviously a composite from my archive. Actually I was so fascinated by this poster I tore it out and kept it. I always think of it as an intriguing relic. Both avant-garde and retro. Remember, in 2008 most politicians had transitioned to digital campaigning and images printed with large budgets and those who did not have budgets at least managed to get them designers (sometimes in the printing presses) to do layouts for their campaigns and all.

But Mrs Saab (Fathallah) put her passport photo all with shiny 80s earrings and a floral dress (florals for elections? groundbreaking!) and obviously her own copy because I doubt anyone could have come up with something so kitsch (and anyone who knows me knows I love kitsch) which is so totally her but also so totally out of this world.

If I am writing this today it is because the issue of self-branding is so fascinating for me. Just look at linkedin, the major outlet for self-promotion. I have a hobby, every so often I go there, look at the profiles the system is suggesting for me and see how they "brand" themselves. What titles do they give themselves - rational, totally out there, ego-based? Possibilities are endless.

Of course, most of the time I am not exactly impressed. I myself say I am a "think tank and multimedia artist" which honestly, means anything and everything and tries to blend the wacky artistic experiments I do with the fact that I do research most of the day (not always being paid to do it - this blog is a major example).

Still, sometime in 2016 I went on a major "digital restructuring" operation. I was spread too thin in sub-brands (my publishing arm had a name, the blog had a different name, my films had a further different nom de plume (or nom de director) and so on...). I simply tried to shed all these entities to agglomerate them  under the umbrella of - what else? - "Tarek Chemaly".

I know it seems obvious, but trust me for a long time it was not. Call it convoluted circumstances. But still, now that it is done, it makes - ahem - sense. Now before anyone starts assuming things - no, the "Tarek Chemaly" is not, Tarek Chemaly. And before anyone starts thinking I am talking philosophy - you know the eternal French conundrum of "l'etre et le paraitre" (the difference between what is, and what is seen) - I mean the "brand" is not the man behind it.

I let you see what I want you to see, and - again believe it or not - people think that what I am allowing them to see is what is actually behind the image. Of course, we all do that as humans. Project and imago which is not the person. But to many, image and person are one and the same with little distinction. In my case, it is a little bit more complicated. 

But this does not mean I am "lying" or "misleading". I simply divide myself upon my audiences. Very few people get to see certain aspects of me. Lately however, a student of mine who came back from France told me "you scared me the first day I saw you. When all of us were trying to hide behind masks, there you were, parading yourself unafraid of who you were". Does this mean I told her my utmost secrets and showed her sides of me only very close people know? No. But it also means I was not trying to be someone I was not or projecting the image of someone who is not "me" (or the "me" I wanted to project to students).

Well, there are numerous books, treatises and articles written on self-branding. This one does not pretend to solve the riddle. But to me "noblesse difficile" will always remain that fascinating exhibit. A testimony of someone who knew who they were and what they wanted to portray and how to portray that. And in itself, this is self-branding.

Wait, Singles Day is now a thing in Lebanon?

So after importing "black Friday", "cyber Monday" (both sans thanksgiving), "halloween", (thank you we had our own St. Barbara - look here!), "the first look" in marriages, "bachelor parties" (all while keeping the regular party for the bride and groom), and so on - now we have... "Singles day".

Basically Singles Day is the antidote for Valentine's Day. Meaning a day for single people to actually gift themselves something - as a stark reminder none is there to gift them anything (which is a depressing thought).

Of course, with recession looming in many markets (US, Europe), this tradition which started among a small group of Nanjing university students in China in 1993, could be a driver for people to actually shop things at a discount - presumably for them but then again no shop will ever say no if the shopping if done for someone else.

And so here we are many shops are offering now discounts for singles day. 

Which basically, reminds me that... I am single.

John Lewis and a predictable 2022 Christmas outing

John Lewis... Check here and here as examples.

Yes, they could go no wrong in their Christmas ads. Except this year, no just to me but to someone else as well, it was all too predictable. Why would a middle aged man want to start learning to skate suddenly and not very well one must be reminded? Obviously there is a child involved - this much is clear.

Sure sure the ad is well-executed, manages to give the aura of a beginner who is trying hard. The enthusiasm and lack of patience are obvious and nicely translated as his wife tries to be the one with the rational head. In case you are wondering who the child in question is? No, not his own kid living with a divorced ex as I had assumed, but rather - a foster child. "Over 108,000 children in the UK are in the care system. We’re making a long-term commitment to support the futures of young people in care” - the ad stresses the point in the end.

No marks for guessing that the foster child in question is a keen skateboarder.

Do watch the ad on this link here.

Well, this is not "man on the moon for sure", The Guardian labeled it "the most unapologetically depressing thing in human history" (here) which of course is an exaggeration. But perhaps not by much.

Malone Souliers, Mentos - can you diversify a brand named after one product?

Mentos! Yes, that Mentos!

Named after its minty breath-refreshing ingredient. Then came... Mentos Strawberry. 

Today I read that upscale shoe brand Malone Souliers just offered bags for its first time. Souliers in case you do not know literally means "shoes" in French. 

Is it just me or some brands ought to have thought about their naming when a potential for a new product could actually negate their original raison d'etre?

Brand naming is one of my specialties, and yes, many clients still do not understand why they should shell the big bucks just to have a "name". Because, duh, your name defines you. It will make people cherish you and come to you and pick you. But when your name is very very related to one product you make, no matter how known you are for it, it becomes very difficult to go out from under its shadow.

Think of this other luxury shoes maker - Golden Goose. Thankfully, they can now offer clothing and other accessories without having an issue about their name. But Malone.... Souliers?

Malone Sacs in this instance.

Well, whereas I am against rebranding, maybe the time has come for Malone Souliers to become Malone. 

Dear Dr. Farid El Khazen, we need to talk

Artwork by Tarek Chemaly

There are in Lebanon two politicians of the same name, Farid El Khazen. Both hail from the same village in Kesserwan. To distinguish them the locals call them "Farid Elias" and "Farid Haykal" after their respective fathers' name. The former is originally an academic, the second is continuing his family's political history. I shall concentrate this article on Dr. El Khazen and specifically his book "Lebanon: The breakdown of the state 1967-1976" - 1976 being already a year into the war that would end in 1990 or what we call "the great war" as there were many other mini-wars after it in Lebanon.

In 2005, I met with Dr. El Khazen in a social function. At the time he was an MP in Lebanon representing the Free Patriotic Movement (please do glance at his Wikipedia entry here), and I asked him if we are - again - at the breakdown of the state. And he point blank answered "no".

I wish I can speak to him once more and ask him the same question, because at this stage, I do feel his answer might be different. Are we at the breakdown of the Lebanese state - again? I believe we are. The public sector is barely functioning, their salaries are a pittance. However increasing those salaries, will require printing more money, and printing more money will increase the already through-the-roof inflation, which means their salaries will go back to being a pittance because goods are too expensive to buy (and at this point am talking basic goods).

We have at this point no president of the republic since General Aoun's term finished at the end of last month, our caretaker government has been hanging by a thread (a new government should have  been formed back in May immediately after the new parliamentary elections but in Lebanon the process takes ages, and the government became a de facto caretaker since then). The armed forces, like the rest of the public sector, are now earning barely anything despite some "financial reinforcements" that came from the US at some point to encourage personnel to keep attending their positions.

Oh and the "oil and gas" thing? Well this years and years down the line. Right now this is just a fallacy, a dream. The education system, which already was under immense pressure - and here I am speaking of the official educational system with the Lebanese University included - is now in complete tatters with the pandemic and all other factors only increasing the stress on is fragile structure.

If I am writing all of this it's because I feel all this is a repeat (as a tragedy or farce to go back to the Karl Marx quote, I know not) of the dreadful experience that Dr. El Khazen has spoken of in his book. The shape of the Lebanon that will come from this experience is still unknown. I mentioned this quote prior (here and here as examples) but Russian writer Alexander Heren did say "the departing world leaves behind it not an heir, but a pregnant widow".

As I write these lines there is still no expected delivery date.

Yes, I still "use" Twitter, and no, it means nothing.

Image tweeted by Elon Musk (source)

Ah Twitter!

Ever since Mr. Musk himself bought it for 44 Billion, it seems everyone is up in arms about it. Moderation is no longer a thing, the ethics team has been gutted with layoffs, the app will charge for blue check badges, advertisers reigning in ad spend, this, that... But- to the great chagrin of my digital consultant (hello Patrick!) - this actually implies that people have been using it the way it "ought to be" used.

Not so for me.

Let's recap - my private Facebook profile has zero friends, it's just a ghost to be able to manage my official page there, a page basically dedicated to copy-pasting links of such articles as this one. On Twitter I follow no one, so much that one time I was with my said digital consultant and a few other people and he said "tell them, tell them how you use social media" as if I was a wonder boy to be exhibited (the way I use social media is simply by typing everyone's link once in a while to see if there is anything interesting).

On Instagram, I make sure never to follow more than 50 accounts and periodically purge to remain near that number. I admit that during the pandemic I did a few "purchases" from outlet/resale stores pay-on-delivery exhibiting there for the lack of being able to go out to stores - which again is something I do not do often anyhow. Lately I have been lukewarm about the whole Instagram thingy truth be told. Somehow the whole app became boring.

No I have no Tiktok. 

Oh, whatsapp? 

Welcome to the 15 numbers including house help, taxi driver, etc.... stored on my phone. I only speak (meaning write) to a very small number of people. 

But all this has been good for my mental health mind you. I do what I do the way I do it, I do not preach anyone to do the same, at this point I realize each one of us has his own needs or wants from this digital experience. 

So yes, I still "use" Twitter, and no, it means nothing.

Doculand - ink or print?

Usually, the sentence goes "don't think it, ink it" as in thoughts are fleeting but when one jots them down they become more indelible. If this is what Doculand was aiming at, I think they watered down the idea. "You think it, we print it" - I really immediately thought "we ink it" but perhaps it was too convoluted or too conceptual for the client who wanted something more directly related to its core business. Now was the visual which was added worth it? A bit debatable especially with the "prints" under it.... 

OMT - now sponsoring Beirut Marathon.

Well, OMT is now sponsoring Beirut Marathon. I said it before (here), Lebanese now trust OMT more than they trust banks. Interestingly, usually it was banks that would sponsor the Beirut Marathon - big, fat, Alpha banks. But what's with banks being in taters now it is OMT that is taking their place as the main sponsor of the even. I actually like the ad they are doing - you know "I am Beirut" overlaid on the capital's map. I mean not just they included their logo, but someone did make the effort to come up with an idea. Surely, the yellow thingy is also a direct reference to the brand's colors. Now - I am not sure about the blue in the ad above because I seem to have seen a version with the black "I am Beirut" which is more aligned with OMT. Still, as I said, one cannot but appreciate the effort. 

Almaza goes back to Arabic - by remixing old ads

 Almaza has finally gone back to speaking Arabic. Something I have long been the advocate of.

Now that it's football season Almaza is going back to what it does best. Using the moment and being able to produce ads that catch the zeitgeist. I suppose in their case they are going retro however.

How so? By remixing the slogans of old ads they produced (2011, 2014, 2016 for example).

By using the same Arabic catchy word (Kes - cup - which in Arabic goes "world cup" and also "cheers to everyone") and applying it in 2022. Of course, legally Almaza can do whatever it wants because it owns the ads (not the creatives, not the agency who own the ads - this must be known). Also of note, it is the same creative who came up with all these ads throughout the years (considering it is the same client, it might pass - sorry for the football pun!).

So Almaza is back to Arabic. Yay!

Do note, I am all for brands using or rehashing old ads. If it worked once, it can work twice - or in the case of Almaza - third time is the charm. But hey.... There's always a football tournament somewhere.

Tchibo - hopefully now with a better distibution

OK here's a small admission, Tchibo is my favorite coffee brand. The reason why I end up not buying it all the time? Because its distribution in Lebanon was, for a long time, very touch and go. The kind of touch and go where my sister in law would call me because she found one such item in a store and wanted to know if she would get it (yes, please!). Which is why having a Tchibo campaign on billboards is a bit of an "anomaly". I said it before, previously - that would be circa 2004-5 - you'd have needed 600 billboards just make your ad be "seen" (here) but these days a smaller presence would get you noticed. So having such a (relatively) very large campaign for Tchibo on the streets, is - hopefully - a sign that they have managed to smooth their distribution issues.

Michel Aoun: A rally for a departing president

Now here's a bit of political mercantilism. Now that president Aoun last presidency days are coming (October 30th). Now there is a rally to support him once he is no longer president. Interestingly, we still did not manage to elect a president - because obviously, if you are in Lebanon, it is a very convoluted process where everyone would have to agree on the person in question... Still, interesting that president Aoun after taking so many twists and turns and having had the back luck of having so many crises during his presidency (financial, pandemic, and hoard of personal issues etc....) would want to still be a very active in the political game considering he is - with all due respect - a man of advanced age. But hey. that's Lebanon for you.

Citroen Oli - BETC goes retro to go to the future

Well, believe it or not, all our notions of "futurism" go back to the same points - early comics and Andre Courreges designs. Citroen, fresh from revamping its logo - which ironically means it went back to its original logo of 1919 (to understand why, please go here) - is now onto launching its Oli car. BETC agency aces it, simply because they found the exact correct tone of voice to market this odd car (do note, Smart car paved the way way back then - and one of their ads made it to my top 10 best ads ever here).

Citroen has had incredible hits on its roasters (think the traction avant, the majestic DS, the SM - back when - gasp - Citroen actually owned Maserati, and the list goes on), but when you say Citroen you always go back to "a fun car, accessible and made to last", meaning? The ubiquitous 2CV.

Which is exactly what BETC riffed at when it poked the 2CV from behind the Oli to say "doesn't this remind you of anything?"

Many, as in many brands tried to cash on their past credentials, but this one is among the best - even if, let's face it, design wise Oli is not the child of the 2CV.