On using celebrities in ads - the case of Nadine Njeim and Gliss

I recently spoke about Nour Arida in the new Marie France campaign (here), but this is different - I am speaking of the new Nadine Njeim in the Gliss ad. Miss Njeim is nothing but a mega-celebrity. Not just actress but also someone incredibly famous, whose life, looks, and outings are scrutinized under the microscope. I am neither defending or attacking here - but her level of celebrity is indeed, quite enormous. Which brings us to... "the new ad by Nadine Njeim". Not just her, think Haifa Wehbe (when she was at the height of her stardom) or any other celebrity of A-list star. More often than not, you will think "the new ad by so and so" (actually I hear the expression a lot of the time) and... there is no brand in tow! Sure, as professionals we might be more intrigued by logos, strategies behind the act etc, but to the layman or woman, I honestly don't think anyone really pays attention. To them, it is the star above and foremost. Just to be honest, as I took the photo I was too mesmerized by Miss Njeim's look so much the brand only appeared as I was reviewing the photo on my phone. Could this be an indication?

Nahnoo, goes to/against the beach

If Nahnoo had a confusing first outing (here) and second outing here (here), this one, is at least clearer, or so I think. OK, so that the coastal facade of Lebanon has been taken over by private conglomerates and maritime complexes for years upon years, most of the illegal, Nahnoo is proposing to actually report such instances (not sure how or what can be acted upon but that is another - confusing - story). Still at least the line is nice - and comes directly from Lebanese culture. It roughly translates into "the beach is for everyone, not for some people but not others" as I said in Arabic it flows better. Interestingly, whereas Nahnoo decreases the level of ambiguity this time around, it did not disparage it completely. Baby steps... In the sand.

Bonjus is... Cool.

Bonjus seems to be, well, cool. Of course when one thinks Bonjus perhaps the pyramid juice box that comes to your mind, but the empire is much broader than that, it includes juices in several sizes and packaging and a whole division for ice cream. A long long time ago (no, in a galaxy far far away :) ) there was a "Bonjus lick" - لحسة بونجوس - campaign for the ice cream part which was such a total disaster. But hey, let us leave that in the past. Today, as I said, or rather as they said, Bonjus is cool and goes all out on a major campaign everywhere. The idea is simple, you put "since (date of birth of the person in the ad)". Works like a charm. But there is even an Easter egg everyone missed, the ad that said "Cool since 1962" - is actually the real date of the creation of Bonjus. So that was done with a very smart wink to history. But one that might have gone amiss. Refreshing indeed. Or actually? Just downright cool.

Marie France, reframing the male gaze.

So finally, as in finally, the male gaze has been reframed in terms of women's lingerie. Introducing the new campaign by Marie France. "I wear it for myself" - yes!!! Not for any man, not to seduce, not to flatter, but... to feel good about one's self (herself specifically). So there you go, Marie France goes out and bold. In the process they splurge a large cheque for influencer Nour Arida. Mind you I am not the target audience, maybe this helps? I am not sure, the way I see it any other female model could have done the job (I repeat perhaps women respect Arida and want to emulate her). So with this, Marie France has actually cracked the code.

As a side here's a story about Marie France:

In 2010, the country woke up to the ads of lingerie and pantyhose brand Marie France being ripped. The first reflex was that a Muslim fundamentalist did so, a while later a person I know told me "did you see what I did to the Marie France ads?" - the man in question was married, educated in Lebanon and Europe and still found it logical for him to to rip the panels for what he called "anti-Christian values". The same day he did what he did, the Marie France agent called Voix du Liban and said "I wish to thank that person for what he did, now even men are aware of the brand, so thank you for the free publicity".

Health Up vs Diet Pepsi (compare and contrast)

I am not saying they did, I am not saying they didn't..

But the margin between Health Up and Pepsis is pretty, well, almost "zero". You might argue that Health Up used "me3na" or meaning and Pepsi used "taste" but in slang it means "meaning", and Health Up used "meaning" which in slang... Sigh. Yes, Pepsi are just off the airwaves, so Health Up could have at least looked out the window.

McDonald's (no, you are not drunk)

In 1995 we did a major presentation about the environment (yes, I know I was ahead of the curve), the invite had a "double font" - one of my teachers asked me "are we supposed to be drunk". Well, not only was I ahead of the curve for the environment, now McDonald's did the same with the font. In all honestly I cannot say I dislike it, because, ahem I did it before them. But the ad really does a cute element to it. And the price is basically unbeatable to be honest. 

Galaxy Kunafa Pistachio: A rose by any other name.

Stop. Please. Stop. That whole Dubai chocolate thing has gone stratospheric so much that Galaxy jumped on the bandwagon. So without further ado, presenting the limited edition Galaxy Kunafa Pistachio, a Dubai chocolate by any other name. Was the original overyhped? You bet. Was it tasty? Well, that's a matter of personal liking. Should it be replicated? Please, no. I mean already the original was too much to handle. And now this! Do I think this had gone over the roof? Yes. So honestly, not sure I have a lot of respect for the Galaxy me-too at this point.

Deek Duke - the harder they fall

Look for a long time Deek Duke was fine in terms of image and presentation. You could go there knowing what to expect, knowing what to look for, having an idea about the decor, placemats and all. It was lovely and consistent. Now Deek Duke is back. With this. Incomprehensible. The image above is part of a campaign - but all of them under the same umbrella: the same deek/djeje (rooster/chicken) saying "frankly, I love it" (insert meme of the chicken going to KFC). Where does begin? And when (not where) does one end? Pity they went so low with this. I was told the sentence comes from an influencer, Joy Tasidis. So even if putting all of this in context, it still does not work. Of all possible options, they went this this. No idea who is behind it, but I find it sad that this is the effort they thought was worth plastering all over.

IAA Lebanon chapter elects new board members for the 2025-27 term

The IAA Lebanon Chapter is proud to announce the newly elected board members for the 2025–2027 term:

Naji Boulos – President
Emile Tabanji – Vice President
Liliane Maroun – Treasurer
Amal Chammas – General Secretary
Youssef Naaman – Member
Naji Irani – Member
Ralph Bacha – Member
Alain David – Member
Georges Slim – Member
Elie Achkouti – Member
Melhem Rechdan – Member

That the IAA has been doing an excellent job is an understatement. And here I am not just talking about the Hall of Fame (2024, 2025) but about reaching out to students (here) or - full disclosure I was part of that event - helping neuromarketers (Lime Buzz) with the launch of our book (here) and putting the event under their auspices, along with many other projects and ventures. 

So here's all the luck for Naji Boulos and the whole board members (some of them returning) for a new 2-year mandate.

Heineken enters the chat in the beer wars

Almaza, Beirut Beer (add Keo), and now Heineken has entered the chat in the summer beer wars in Lebanon with each trying to establish its own share of the market. Funnily, Heinkeken used to own (not sure if outright) Almaza but sold their shares to an investment banker. In case you are wondering "for that first ahh" is Heinken (campaign from last year). Still, here were are, a lot of beers, for a supposedly flush clientele (innocent question: where is the money coming from knowing the market is in shabby state still?). Well, if you got it flaunt it, let the summer enjoyment begin (if only the weather was compliant though! Still grumpy on the whole).

Blusky properties - a word play gone wrong

Let's be honest, this word play is so out of it. "Property is not a game. But it is our game" - no matter how one flips it, it just does not land. Mind you real estate was the way Lebanese - most of them - smuggled their money out of the banks in banking cheques or cash when the crisis broke, so definitely it was not a "game". It was truly a matter of salvaging what is salvageable. On all accounts, the ad simply does not work, and does not exactly suggest confidence (which funnily, is the name of a real estate company plugging its ads next to this one). To trust Blusky properties needs a different game indeed. One that perhaps includes proper math (here).

OMO and Rana Hayek, a story told.

Ah who remembers Byblos Institute in the 80s? Why? Because there was a young girl that was featured in the ad, on television, in the auto mechanic department. People registering in that specific section shot through the roof. So now, introducing Rana Hayek - engineer and car mechanic (please, no comparisons to Mona Lisa Vito - here). Now OMO is getting on with their "khabsa" (spot/quagmire) with Hayek going "this khabsa is the story of my life". Please see the earlier excellent OMO campaign, also by Pimo (here). So here we are, no Byblos Institute, but another female car mechanic!

Johny Water the homegrown creativity that works.

Remember this earlier this day? (here). Well try the above for size.

Brilliant. Nothing else. Just brilliant.

Beirut Beer says out loud what everyone is thinking about the Almaza Rosé

All right the cat is out of the bag, remember the Almaza Rosé (here), Beirut Beer has come and said out loud what everyone is thinking. Although I have said repeatedly that Beiut Beer should grow out of the shadow of Almaza (here), this one is spot on actually. Because the Almaza Rosé thingy was... odd to put it mildly. So what did Beirut Beer say? "instead of coloring the beer pink, we kept it genuine". All right, that makes sense. A lot of sense. And although this is not starting out a beer war (which has happened in the past mind you), at least Beirut Beer is saying it as is.

Whaibeh, the homegrown creativity that does not work

Anyone who has read this blog knows I have a soft spot for homegrown creativity (here and here and here and even here as generic examples). You know, the one that comes from the client, is plastered on one ad, not from an agency or anything. But then again, sometimes it just does work. Whaibeh is one such example. First the Arabic هيبة (heibeh) is akin to anything from status to aura to charisma. So the line goes "from Whaibeh gold increases your heibeh". It rhymes yes, and it should work, but it does come out a bit cheapo. Interestingly? I am all for investing in gold and metals because honestly, the prices are rising so stratospherically at this point. So maybe you should forget the ad and do what the man is telling you. It makes financial, though not creative, sense.

Colgate - does a Dentyne trick...

Well, in 1971, there was this Dentyne ad (here) which ended with "get that just brushed freshness with Dentyne". In 2025, Colgate is treading that same path with "an instant burst of freshness" - well, OK, they are advertising a toothpaste so it is a real "just brushed" not a make-believe chewing gum. To be clear, Colgate went the safe way with the freshness with the "ultrafreeze efficiency" (seriously, what is that?). But well, bonus points for them just showing up and doing the leg (or dental) work.
 

Political mercantilism, again, in Lebanon

 So here it is, I have no idea who published this (not signed) for what occasion (also not specific), but as mercantilism goes in politics in Lebanon, this is a "passepartout" - it could work for any occasion, any political party. For a second I thought it was about the latest municipal elections (the sign says "thousand thousand thank yous") as posted by whomever won said elections. But as I said, could be anything and anyone, in the quagmire of Lebanese politics, it always works. Interestingly, this was a one off - meaning only saw it once. So who knows?

Jihad El Hokayem, with "roots" that run deep in Lebanon

Ah Jihad El Hokayem is back with a wink and a nod to work past. Patriotic as ever Jihad (full disclosure: Jihad is a friend whose work I support) Jihad is touching the Lebanese flag during a social event with the words "rooted in Lebanon, open to the world" well, this give back to... This! A lovely Arabic copy if there ever one! Now that's a man who has roots that run deep in Lebanon!

L'Oreal: Because you are better than that!

So I have lived long enough to see this. Pity the budget, pity the campaign, pity the media buy. Without any doubt this must be the most head-scratching moments for me in a long time. OK, so instead of "housewife" or "Sit Beit" (ربة منزل) according to L'Oreal you should be "Lady of the house" or "Sit Al Beit" (ربة المنزل). Because, yes, genius. Butchering the Arabic? Check (for your info Beit is an "addititve" - مضاف اليه - which in itself is - اداة تعريف - so adding ال makes it like saying "Lady of the the house"). No creativity? Check. Zero, none, nada. No logic? Check. I mean who in their right mind agreed to this and gave the green light for it? Also "housewife" or "sit beit" actually has a positive connotation rather than a negative on in the Arabic culture. Because honestly, when it comes to l'Oreal, you are worth better than that!

Caparol - a likeable, joyful ad

Have you ever liked an ad "just because". Well, meet Caparol - the German paints. Do I love it? You bet I do. Why? Go figure. There is something so inherently innocent in the ad, an elephant-shape made out of brush strokes with a tail in the shape of the brush itself. Something almost childish, with the colors joyful - and boy do we need joy - and all of this on a yellow background. What's there not to love? What's there not to notice? So here we are - a feel-good ad without too much concepting, research and twisted ideas.