Biscotto - goodness all over.

Biscotto, which looks like a redux of another famous cookie (which shall remain unnamed!), is all over town. The ad, especially for a diabetic like me, is very enticing. Especially when it is on every second billboard in town. The line is indeed catchy and goes - once translated - "goodness is from it and in us". Which is interesting as it implicates the audience in the line as well... Small hint if the line was "al tibe menna w fiya" as opposed to "el tibe menna w fina" - which translates into "goodness is from it and within it" I think it would have been an even better line. 

The Epica Awards shortlist is out

The Epica Awards are delighted to announce the shortlisted entries for 2025. In recent days, a unique jury of editors and journalists from around the world has reviewed and evaluated the submissions, offering valuable PR exposure to all the entrants.With agencies submitting their finest work, making it onto the shortlist is a major achievement. Congratulations to everyone featured. We also extend our gratitude to all the agencies, production companies, studios and clients who participated.

This year there are 458 shortlisted entries. The leading country is Canada followed by France.

See the full shortlist attached. These finalists go through to the next round of the jury, which takes place online from November 25 to December 1. An in-person Grand Prix jury session will take place in Paris.

Gold and Grand Prix winners will be screened during a special online ceremony on December 16.

Silver and Bronze winners will be published on the Epica Awards website the next day, December 17.

The highest number of entries overall this year came from Canada (138), followed by Germany (120) and France (101). In terms of networks, Publicis was particularly well represented this year.

Did Doritos just slay a competitor? It did, it did.

Heaven help us... Doritos is coming out for the competition. And not just "any" competition. Read between the lines and the target is pseudo-defined. Sure this is a work for the KSA - and perhaps the region too I believe, so not Lebanese or anything. But I love how they did it. Subtly, but not too subtly. Anyone would immediately understand "forget the circles and choose the triangles". People, it is there, out for anyone to see. Although they did not name them - any potato chips with round shapes (hear that Pringle?) is included in the comparison. Sure, being "anti" anything is not a sustainable position but I still love what they did. Appropriating the space and pushing their very distinctive shape. I hope this will not end up in all out war though, because one move is one thing, infinite retaliation is another.

Elf Town, as if more proof is needed Christmas is approaching.

As if more proof that Christmas is approaching, please welcome Elf Town with its - billion sponsors. Well, the event must be humongous as there are too many companies involved there. But hey, with Lebanon going from trauma to trauma anything that alleviates the chagrin of these kids is worth embarking in. Which brings us back to Elf Town, and Christmas, and the whole charade. With so many production companies, and sponsors galore, one should wonder how hug is this event. Already it seems to be taking over the Hall 1 of the Seaside Arena at the Beirut Waterfront. Just make no mistake, sponsors or no sponsors the event requires tickets for anyone to attend. Meaning it might not be within reach of low(er) income families - actually according to their site tickets range between 20 and 100 USD. As I said, this is not something everyone can afford.

Ksara - Independence Day

Yes, yes, it fell through the cracks yesterday but this is an Independence Day worth mentioning for the concept above all else (execution is minimal which I do not mind). So here we are: "It it very possible that, in 1945, independence was toasted with a glass of Chateau Ksara" - include a fez in the photo and you're home safe. Interestingly, this reminded me of a (very very) old Benetton ad "si en l'an 1 Benetton existait, les rois mages n'auraient pas hesite" (if in year 1, Benetton existed, the three wise kings would not have hesitated). But as I always say, this is a different story for a different day. Ksara almost never disappoints!

Chateau Musar - corkscrew for Independence Day

Chateau Musar has a new one for Independence Day (sadly it gives me an impression of deja vu - here). Still, on its own merit the ad is very good - it includes the product in the advertising. Still, a good one is a good one. Chateau Musar apparently wishes to greet every Lebanese (not just those in the army or anything).

Hallab 1881, or how to sink even lower.

Hallab 1881 just did "something" for Independence Day (here). I was hesitating to post the link because it must come with a warning "I saw this on behalf of humanity so you don't have to". The ad, is even an insult to cliche! It is this bad. A hodge-podge of imagery over an insufferable copy which ends with one of the worst lines I have come across. I have no idea if this was done in-house or by an agency, but approving such atrocity is simply beyond the level of logic and good taste. Hallab has had a string of flops as of late (here and here as examples) and with every new outing they sink lower.

Parazar, a neat ad for Independence Day

Parazar just did Independence day (here). A proof if any is needed that one can do a lovely, strong, and well-meaning ad with a creative backbone without going totally overboard. Parazar specializes in shooting events - marriages mostly. So the images are from the in-house archive. Not bad considering they are pros at what they do. The copy is a bit soppy but nothing to complain about (it is independence day!) and - interestingly, the copy drives its way forward to the ending line "may every Independence Day finds us really well". 

So let's recap, clean imagery, a copy that knows where it is heading, no over-doing patriotism and what not, but rather a way to integrate their product within the event. So honestly, there's nothing to complain about.

Evo and touch link up together

Evo e-wallet (apparently with a Central Bank permit!) has joined hands with Touch, the phone company, in order to give you 10 USD (for free apparently) once you recharge your line. Do note, most Lebanese have temporary lines which we recharge monthly with throwaway tickets. So much that these lines are not temporary any longer, I have mine since 2003 - same number sine then though technically it is supposed to be temporary. On all accounts QR on a billboard? Really? Who comes up with these ideas?

Tchibo, Gold for the converts.

It is nice when your favorite coffee brand is out there strutting their stuff. No I am not a "the other brand" (which shall remain unnamed) person. So seeing an for Tchibo Gold is kind of refreshing. "Every day needs a bit of Gold"... Now how much is a "bit" remains a little mystery. OK, so the positioning is not exactly tops, but who cares, considering the unipole is actually well-placed on a strategic place. Not sure if this is enough to convert people, but in my case it is preaching to the converts as the saying goes. I am #teamTchibo just for to know there might be other people with the same (good) taste out there. 

The pope is coming (act busy or "a la prochaine!")

The Pope is coming to Lebanon (again, I mean different pope but same visit!). So naturally, there is a tone of ads on the streets to welcome him. A certain campaign however has taken as many OOH as allowable (and then some!). "Blessed are the peacemakers" (for those who do not know it continues "for they are the sons of God"). Same in Arabic. Well, as I said this is not the first visit by a Pope to Lebanon. Paul VI in 1964, John Paul II in 1997, and Benedict XVI in 2012. The first visit, Paul VI was a stopover at the airport which generated enormous buzz for small school children to go and see him at the airport. My late mother, who at the time was a teacher at Sagesse school got a notifier for her students and herself to undergo the airport trip. Mother, who just wanted an afternoon off, went to the head of the school arguing it was exhausting over and above all else, and then ended her plea with "a la prochaine!" ("we'll see him next time". As luck would have it, she did see the John Paul II 1997 mass - but hey, a promise is a promise).

Abaad - still believes in teaser/revealer...

Wow, the 80s called and they want their teaser/revealer back. But here we are, another November/December and Abaad (as well as Kafa!) are both on unipoles and billboards and digital OOH. Well, a friend and myself have a theory how come they choose these times specifically when other billboards are a bit more Christmassy... We think it has to do, not with visibility or awareness, but rather with spending donor budget before the end of the year. I went back to my archive, and it is amazing that both Abaad and Kafa both show up in force in November and/or December - no matter the year. Still - the other issue with this ad? A teaser/revealer. Seriously? And the issue is that the revealer was poster while the teaser was on so many other billboards. Yes, as if confusion is not enough. So - to recap: The teaser goes #name_it_right (in triplicate in the same space!) and the revealer goes "no concealing, this is not an assault on dignity, it is a sexual assault, #name_it_right to judge it correctly" and in smaller character "change the sexual assault law". 

Well, yes, the ad does try to say a lot - if we add to it the picture of the scotch-taped woman (which could have come from the Paris Fashion Week but am digressing), with a lot of words attached, but also - as mentioned - a teaser/revealer as well.

Halim goes smart with the National Anthem for Independence Day!

Take Maliks and his silly riddles (here), then take Halim (first here) now the above. Halim, truth be told is on fire. Now that Independence Day is approaching, Halim went with - the gratuitous but very smart hint - of the Lebanese National Anthem. The quizz is simple - or rather deceptively simple - what comes after the two words in the Halim ad which are taken from the anthem? Truth be told, our national anthem's lyrics (courtesy of Rashid Nakhle) are nothing but very - as in very - convoluted. So guessing the next two words is, a bit memory searching, a bit ChatGPT searching, a bit Google search as well. But still - the ad (which has a third installment I did not picture) is in White/Red/Green - the colours of the national flag (a nice gimmick!). Apparently you win something if you answer correctly. But beyond the gifts, Halim is on to something - without silly riddles.

Solet tapis, let's decorate

Solet Tapis... "carpets are the decoration of the house" with a visual of a house made of carpets. Sorry for the image does not show exactly all the ad but that's after three trials, or mostly errors to be honest. But I did think the ad was worth it to talk about. I mean Solet Tapis as customers from all walks of live, even if I presume mainly from the middle class or what is left of it in Lebanon. So the ad needed to be straightforward, and needed to hit, and needed to be placed at a time when people actually put their carpets. As the saying goes "the carpets are from independence to Martyr's day". Independence Day is just around the corner.

Elmir, and for those who don't know?

All right, all right I am the ignorant one. "For those who know" - well, I don't know. There I said it, sue me. Apparently it is a craft beer. To be fair though the ad is well done. I love the typography, as far as I know this is only placed in one place only. I love their logo as well... But I am very ambivalent about their line - I mean it puts everyone on the backpedal... What if we don't know? What if we don't care? (yes, that is worse that knowing). Maybe "for those who have standards" would have fit better as it elevates the brand as this line does without alienating the (existing or potential) audiences. 

Concord - just focus on the local

Concord, I am not even sure if this is a campaign though it is periodically present on the highway. The idea is simple - Concord is a Lebanese brand, so this is exactly what they aim for in the ad. "The pride of the Lebanese manufacturing". To be clear Concord is into white goods productions (you know stoves, washing machines, refrigerators). These are not items one replaces or buys every day. The layout is simple, the background is red (though used to be blue in previous iterations) and the product is shown. Nothing fancy, but if you want such a good, you know where to go.

McCafe goes shutterstock royalty free

All right - here's the source. And it's royalty-free. On Shutterstock.

I am not saying the ad is without merit, but well it is taken as is from somewhere else. It does say coffee love. As in literally. Not sure how this came about - did they scour the internet to look for two beans to make a heart sign once they found "coffee love" or more realistically they found the image and came up with the line? Anyhow if one did not know the origin, this would be a respectable ad.

Ksara - personalized label bottle (again)

Well, it worked for Mother's Day (here), so why not a pre-Christmas redux? Ksara is on it again - create your own label for your bottle. According to their own words: "Our bottles can now speak your language! With your own custom label design, each bottle becomes a reflection of your creativity. Place your order now on our website." So here we are again, perhaps a keepsake, or a special gift, or just a way to bottle your souvenirs (no pun!). Whatever it is, this must have worked earlier and Ksara is warming the cover again. 

Storium - Christmas already

What is there to say? Weather still mild, people still in t-shirts and despite some chilly nights in September and sporadic rain the saying "between techrin w techrin sayf tene" proved right (between October and November another summer). Which brings us to... Christmas. Storium is already on it. I can't blame them but - not even sure there is the ambient mood to go with it, because as I said, people are still wearing summer attires. Joy/Love/Christmas all this is fine and dandy but again, it all comes at such a strange time even if, calendar-wise they might be up to something.

LTV, all eyes on them.

"All Eyez on me" titled his album the late Tupac Shakur, but LTV is far - very far - from this with their "all eyes on us" which works very well for a TV station, because this is exactly what LTV is. Apparently all this is to launch their new grid with some heavy weight presenters - though the image is a bit reminiscent of "Real Housewives" season launch. The line also works as a double-entendre because "all eyes on us" means everyone is watching us. And it also implicitly means, everyone is trying to see how far we can go. Interestingly, the ads tend to cover the Kesserwan part of the highway but it stops there and does not seep to Beirut circuit.