Al Wadi Al Akhdar - canned patriotism

Al Wadi Al Akhdar is launching an initiative whereby "Lebanon is with you, on every can". And what it says it is, it does. For each of their products, they dipped (sorry for the bad pun) the can with a certain known Lebanese area. Apparently there are 8 collectable variants, the kind of boxes nostalgia resellers will keep as is to exhibit them years down the line among their paraphernalia. So, without further ado, and in no particular order: Baalbeck, Beirut, Beiteddine, Byblos, Cedars, Douma, Sidon, and Tripoli (OK, fine I placed them in alphabetical order). Well, I believe these are paper prints on the cans as opposed to them being printed on the cans direct (much more cost-effective). So as I said, this is indeed the kind of  marketing gimmicks that would push people to collect and resell, but ordinary folks will just go for the price factor.

Al Wadi Al Akhdar is jamming

Hmmm.... I could be mistaken, but I was always under the impression that Al Wadi Al Akhdar already had jams. According to their website they do (here). So it is a little strange to see them advertise the said jams on the streets. Perhaps their other products are doing well and so they needed to push these (well, I guess the other products are pseudo-staples on Lebanese tables). Anyhow, the selling point is that these taste like homemade jams in Arabic - except that in English is becomes spread the goodness (with spread having a double-meaning). The visual is a but lowest common denominator - with the jam in the shape of a heart etc.

As I said, interesting that they chose to do the jam ad now. Maybe there is a halo effect expect for the other products so it's two birds in one stone.

Small update: As this image show on Instagram, it seems this is part of a Valentine's Day campaign (here). Thank you Natalia Nasser for pointing it out to me.

Al Wadi Al Akhdar - a heart-warming ad for Mother's Day

It is Mother’s Day in Lebanon on March 21rst, so many companies are rushing to produce something (with strict minimum budget) to celebrate it. Several years back, the internet was flooded with corny ads: We gathered 5 influencers and unbeknown to them their mothers were in a room nearby… You can imagine the fake fiasco.

Thankfully those days are gone. And this year, Al Wadi Al Akhdar came up with a heart-warming, kind and genuine ad. The idea is simple: Let one mother sit on one couch, and the children on another. Quizz the kids on some simple questions (which are normally addressed to mothers): What’s her favorite dish? What are her hobbies? And so on and so forth…

The result is much more than the sum of its parts, that’s for sure. The answers are so honest, unrehearsed, and just… Splendid. When one of the mothers, speaking of her favorite dish said “cheikh el mehchi… But I don’t do it often enough” – seriously, no copywriter in the world could have come up with that. When asked about punishments another woman said “but my heart breaks into pieces” (about when she had to punish the kids). And even the giveaway, easy, schmaltz-filled question “what do you wish her?” a small child said “I love you as big as the sky” (talking about his mother). The joke? He extended his hands so wide to indicate his love, not realizing that his tiny arms indicate but a small space – seriously, try faking that!

The ad starts with saying that the mother is the cook, the nurse, the psychologist, etc… And the final line in the ad goes: No matter your role, you are always the hero, may you remain up to it (do note that role/hero are cinematic winks for movies).

The beauty is that all this cost Al Wadi Al Akhdar around ziltch. Two sofas and a genuine cast.

See the beautiful ad here.

Al Wadi Al Akhdar in the post-explosion scene

 

Al Wadi Al Akhdar is right in the post-explosion scene.
As such, they are giving their support by collaborating with NGOs Beit El Baraka and Smile In A Box through which they will be donating more than 20,000 Al Wadi products to the families in need.They are also partnering with the talented Grace El Gebeily AKA Chef At Heart who has been offering home-cooked meals using Al Wadi products, having -so far - fed more than 100 families in the regions of Beirut and other parts of Lebanon.

Interestingly, their ads were dipped in a creative sauce which says "from our heart" a wink to their often used line "min alb El wadi" (From the heart of the valley). At least they are creatively consistent.

Al Wadi Al Akhdar gets lost in (emoji) translation

"For the virtuous month only accept the best" - says the Al Wadi Al Akhdar ad with an appetizing image of an aubergine to indicate their baba ghannouj (excellent) product. The problem? The aubergine has become in emoji language as a substitute to the male organ. Which, in an ad speaking about Ramadan is the metaphoric equivalent of shooting yourself in the foot! Now do women purchasing the product know the analogy? Most or the quasi majority do not. Did Al Wadi know it? (and considering their marketing manager is a very capable woman) The answer is obviously no.
But, the harm has been done! Many of us are now smirking under our cape or getting annoyed to the mixing of two unmixable things (Ramadan and the "aubergine"). But like it or not, we live in a digital world, with its new codes and signifies and the aster brands adapt, the better it is!

Al Wadi Al Akhdar goes digital.

Remember when Al Wadi Al Akhdar went on a gigantic campaign outdoor in 2019? Well, what happens in 2019 stays in 2019, because it seems Al Wadi has now gone completely digital and who would blame them? More cost-efficient, targeted, easier to assess and manipulate. They came up with a catchy copy for each occasion. Indeed, when life gave them lemons.... They did advertising lemonade!