Monday, July 17, 2023

Gantous w Bou Raad or how to revive an iconic ad

Gantous w Bou Raad, easily one of the most memorable jingles in the Lebanese advertising landscape. But... do you remember the original TV ad? Not only do I remember it, I have bits of it actually. Actually the original ad was just a series of beauty shots with the arak interwinding. So how do you revive such an iconic ad? Gantous w Bou Raad found the magic formula: If it ain't broke don't fix it.

So they came up with a new ad, which is very much on the downlow - food and good company and... Arak. If the ad is nothing too special, that's because it rests on its backbone: the inimitable jingle blaring in the backdrop. Which in itself, carries the ad from start to finish.

As I said, the smartness was not to overwhelm what is essentially the most known bit (the song/jingle) and whereas the cast is nice and food appealing, Gantous w Bou Raad know where their strength lie. Smart people, trust me. Please see full ad here.