And to all of you trying to do meaningful, inspirational, yet also touching and personal ads, please read this email I just received from Slowear (the lovely store in downtown Beirut which was completely obliterated with the August 4, 2020 explosion). Here's the text below:
Dear Friends,
The past couple of years have been, to say the least, intense! 2021 had its share of setbacks, with smaller bumps perhaps but nevertheless a roller coaster of events and emotions for us all. We've seen some of you leave Lebanon, unfortunately, but as we grow apart in distance, we feel our ties are stronger than ever.
Stepping into the new year, we wish you 365 days filled with health, little and big joys, love, hope and ... style!
Cheers to that. We hope you have a great evening, and stay safe!
So here we are, a smart, emotional, yet very logical text. They are strutting their merchandise without flaunting it in your face, they are selling you their brands (Incotex, Montedoro, Zanone, and Glanshirt) without them being pushy or cheap. Honestly, if I ever needed a reminder that an ad can fulfill such functions at the end of year, this is it!
A small gem... and already a "little joy" as they said in their email! "No matter what" says the title of the missive. No matter what indeed.