Blanchor has revealed its Christmas ads for its many clients. That they can still think of ideas that resonate is honestly beyond me. But sometimes doing less goes the longer distance. Pity I could not include the line from the last ad in the ad above "unwrap your new home". I know what you are going to say? This is not creative with a capital C. But then again, sometimes creative with a regular c gets the job done. Another set of triumphs that speak to and about each client differently.
Well, the line was good. Everything else? Not so sure. Alfa drowns in its own mushiness, pushing the schmaltz to the power n, and AI did not help at all with everything so - fakely - generated. Sure it must have sounded better as an idea but the AI execution is such a let down. The end line "all what is Lebanon is missing is people to love it" - illustrates the concept perfectly. But then again too much sugary scenes spiked my glucose massively (as a diabetic, this is not recommended). Watch the ad here.
Well, festive spirits ahoy, and this time out in the open. Intrigued? Well, Vivad just went all out celebrating OOH (Out Of Home) with some of Santa's HOHOHO in tow. Integrating your product in an ad for a special occasion might be one of the most difficult tasks, but they just did it indeed. Apparently this comes from the creative minds of Joe Fish. A festive one indeed. And right bang on product wave.
A long time ago, there was a Bata ad which went "pour ceux qui croient toujours au Pere Noel, pour ceux qui n'y croient plus, pour ceux qui veulent croire encore" (for those who do not believe in Santa Claus, for those who no longer do, for those who want to believe again) featuring shoes for little children, adults and and elderly respectively. Well Hedgehog is too young to even know about that ad, but this is not too far off from the idea behind this ABC mall ad "the season to be young" which used the same creative concept that well, even elderly people and adults can enjoy the presents supposed to be for the kids. Not that the ad is copied or anything, far from it, and yes, the joy is indeed all around (even if I'd argue that gifting a child a drum set might not be advisable). The ad does work its charm - in a season that did not see many breakthrough hits, this might be just one. See the ad here.
Watches? No seriously, watches. Why am I surprised? Because the primary functions of a cell phone according to research is - first tell the time, then send texts and eventually make calls. So at this point a watch is for... Either show off or marking a status symbol. So here we are, ads for watches - to be given as gifts one assumes - are all over the place (literally). I think there are more than the samples above - Grand Seiko, Maserati, Omorfia, Oliver Ross, and Zenith just to name a few. So it is interesting how this will pan out - and of course, the why behind the gift.
Well, if you already have an ad, you reheat it for the festivities. Kritika "you can't stop" (which I previously said it reminds me of Pringles) is back with "you can't stop even during the festivities". What did not work gloriously the first time around, actually found its correct footing this time. Oddly this does make sense in the festive season - we tend to eat more mixed nuts than regular food. So here we are, the ad works actually and it feed (sorry for the pun) on our most basic instinct of hunger.
Castania, well, yes, gatherings go require mixed nuts - and gatherings abound now that the festivities are near (also note Santa's hand?) - but I do not blame Castania for going for a simpler creative route. For heaven's sake, again, now that brand loyalty is out the window, everyone is competing on lower prices and more affordable items and - like any other brand - Castania has a full range of them from the entry point to the ultra expensive kernels only. "Share joy" - I am not sure how much sharing there is had I been around - but then again let regular people to their own...
In the plethora of ads which are going the simpler route this year, let us add L'exquis. The idea is just to grab attention, and what L'exquis fails to do creatively it compensates for it by its presence on several billboards all across the road. The panoply of their offered goods is there to be appreciated among festive ornaments in the background. Once more, I am not blaming the easy route out, because seriously companies are trying to sell and people are lacking cheer for sure and have short attention spans and even shorter intrest.
Apologies for the horrible image but seems that Chateau Kefraya does not keep up in its social media with what it has on the street. So the image is very blurred, not that it is creatively too excellent (the ideas is that the wine inside the glass is tilted enough to make some stars shine). But again, another wine showing right bang on time for the festive period - quite a few of them this year. We are far from its slogan which made us dream "Un terroir, une âme, un grand vin" which thankfully they still use to introduce the website. Come on Kefraya you can do better than "to your precious moments". Or perhaps they are drunk on their own wine.
Did Maliks finally stop its silly riddle and managed to actually impress us with a good ad that works? Heaven help us, it did. Because after so many flunks and oddities and let-us-get-on-your-nerves-one-more-time for the festive season, Maliks found the exact concept which - not only "made you look" but actually has a smart element in it. The trick? MlKs Holiday Gits and underneath *you knew it without AI :) - and there you go, indeed you know the logo, even with letters missing (fun fact, the mind is trained to read the first and last letter of every word even with letters missing and inverted - here) and Maliks knew how to invest in this redeeming itself after what honestly a horrible year communication wise.
Exotica has has a legendary run of ads, this year it seems to have recaptured its mojo (here and here) which brings us to - Christmas. The ad has two different versions, I will take you to the breathtaking one immediately (here). Seriously, it is so emotional it is jaw-dropping (which I did seeing it on the street!). The idea is so simple, that magic can appear anywhere if we just want it (and mind you Lebanese people need magic more that anyone can care to know - especially around Christmas). Traffic jam? Just add a star and presto - you have a lit Christmas tree. This year, was truly magical for Exotica, onwards to the next one.
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| Artwork by Tarek Chemaly |
On Christmas Day, at noon, a car was parked in my garage. A car not belonging to me or any potential guests. It was our neighbor J.. He parked without even consulting me. I can see your reaction – what temerity! Actually, during Christmas mass at midnight, I saw his brother along with wife and four children, we exchanged warm wishes. Now by 5 PM on Christmas Day, his other brother F. put a photo of their gathering on his WhatsApp status – everyone was there along with their families. I sent F. proper effusive greetings, he sent his back along with promise he’d be by my house on Monday before opening his salon to do my mother’s hair before New Year’s Eve.
On boxing day, the door knocks, it was J.’s sister along
with a huge plate of homemade Meghle.
The morale of the story?
Well, I come from a place.
To go back to St.Exupery’s little prince when the rose says
“La d’ou je viens”.
Where I come from.
Believe it or not, I often think about it. Knowing you come
from a nuclear, extended family but also a village, a tribe perhaps, a
community for sure. Sometimes you go to give condolences. Long time ago I used
to attend weddings as well. I admit that my “parish activities” are basically
very minimal. But I do show up to the major annual feasts.
When I moved full time to the village in 2010 I used to tell
my mother “why bother no one knows me!” and she’d say “don’t worry everyone
will ask who this is”. And with time, well, people recognized my face. Normally
if I am doing my shops run, I say hello to an average of six people – 2 I know,
2 I know by face and 2 I have no clue who they are but they seem to know me for
sure.
That same person who parked his car on Christmas Day? Well,
a week before I was outside and he crossed the street to say hello. He is
opening a new shop – and then he asked “what should I call it though?”… “Ah
naming is one of my specialties but am expensive” I joked. A quick brainstorm
lead to three very good names, and so a parting sentence I said “well, will
send you the bill later” and we both howled in laughter.
Because that’s what people who come from some place do.
They are there for one another.
In case you are wondering, the lamp went off in the dining
room, F. came to do my mother’s hair and thankfully I had a spare. He replaced
the lamp as we chatted about this and that. Mundane chats that will not
influence your world.
But they can park in my garage any day. Unannounced.
Interesting. There are almost no Christmas ads this year in Lebanon. Of course 2024 has been anything but a normal year, as the advertising sector was hit by crisis after crisis since 2019. I have catalogued and spoken about them too many times to count on this page. And 2024 has fared no better what's with - literally - the war that has been happening (try here and here and here). How are ad agencies continuing is almost a mystery.
Sure, some have been branching towards the gulf, others are recruiting new people for a pittance, as clients squeeze budgets further and agencies try to lower their overhead in all possible ways. Working remotely has been one possibility, because the pandemic proved it was doable and possible. You can argue till the cows come home about how this is possible in an industry based on brainstorming, but again, nothing Zoom calls (or Google meets, or Teams) and a WhatsApp group cannot cure. Crisis can be diffused via messages, talks and the old adage - this meeting could have been an email - are literally becoming emails.
Of course, none of this cures the ails of the ad agencies in Lebanon. But somehow everyone is continuing on a wing and a prayer. For better or for worse. If the ads I saw around town are any indicator, they are incredibly few and in between. Naturally, what has happened left everyone in an un-festive mood. After suffering blow after blow since 2019 - and they are too many to count (financial crisis? check. Explosion? check. Pandemic? check. No president since October 2022? check. War and displacement? check. Refugees? check). Every year brings its own hopes, 2023 was supposed the year where things would start re-emerging. Yeah, right. As we plunge in never-ending issues which engulf the country on all fronts, the "bala dmegh" attitude I spoke of earlier (here) seems to be the guiding light for everyone and - oddly - I am here for it despite that very intellectual streak I am cursed/blessed with.
The chocolate ad above is the most prominent campaign I have seen lately on the OOH sector. It does tell you a lot about the mood of the country.
You know one of the main principles of advertising is being single-minded. Timberland just gave that the boot (pun!). So they have a new festive ad. It also includes Christmas tree lights (festive), boots (to allude to military I presume), a tacky headline, and - a million messages at the same time. Because, why play it safe you know? Honestly this is beyond bewildering at this point.
Now how about this for a surprise? A John Lewis ad which is not about (in no particular Chronological order) a man on the moon (here) or about an aging rockstar (here) or an odd Christmas tree (here) or a school play about a famous band (here)? You better believe it. The ad is about - and I assure you I am not lying - a woman shopping for a gift for her sister. Yes, I know, very unexpected. So with John Lewis having "15 minutes to close" the woman goes on a Proustian trip of her relationship with said sister - all within the branch. Anything that John Lewis sells is featured from clothes, to jewelry, to furniture, etc... The ad recounts the regular relationship between two siblings - from camaraderie as kids, to jealousy as teenagers, to what seemed to be estrangement as adults, to reconnecting, to... well, there you go - a Christmas festive present. "The secret to finding the perfect gift? Is knowing where to look" goes the ad. What I loved most is when the two sisters embrace and one chides the one who was buying the present that it took forever for her to be out of the store, the main actress (Margret Clunie) says "it was your fault". Forever sibling love and rivalry, and women on the moon. See the ad here.
Brilliant as always - oh and it uses the product itself in the ad..... Truly a gem.
Bokja does the unthinkable by distinguishing themselves in their festive greetings. The trick? Use a very timely (and excellent poem) by Mahmoud Darwish. Bokja went with litterature and won.
This is a short post, I know, as all of us are busy setting the Christmas table. Merry Christmas and best festive wishes from yours truly.
No, it not starting to feel like Christmas. I am not saying this to be the messenger of doom but no matter who I meet, I can detect immediately how crushed, tired and - yes - defeated everyone is. The advertising scene is not much better. There are no official figures that I know of, but am sure this year has not been a vintage one. I spoke to several people who own shops and all of them agreed that the second half of the year was a disaster. Still, there are some mild efforts being undertaken. Below is a mix and match of some of them - and even if some ads do not refer explicitly to Christmas/End of year festivities, I included them because their raison d'etre seems obvious:
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Beirut Beer went with building a Christmas tree from their bottles. I saw this installation in two places (Gemmayze and City Mall in Dora). Well, it does make sense I presume considering what they sell.
Bildits - which has a name that immediately tells you what it does - is a children's set where the kind can build a house like a "real engineer". Well, OK, the kid is male which is a bit anticipated, but well, who knows, maybe including a girl could have caused some social stir.
Bo Concept is having an up to 60% off sale. I do hope they do mark down items - several years back on a "clearance sale" I was offered 15% off a sofa.
File this under "I had no idea Bombay Sapphire was in Lebanon" also file under "I don't consume much alcohol to know it is in Lebanon". Still, it is interesting Bombay Sapphire decided to launch such a wide-covering campaign to celebrate their "premier cru".
Boss watches & Jewelry - OK fine you get a free bracelet with every purchase. Interesting, considering the first function of a cell phone is actually to tell the time.
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GS went for a bit of a serious image for their end of year outing - I already spoke of their advent calendar online though (here).
Cyber Monday? Make that Cyber Christmas for Home Tag. Well, many companies are already offering sales and offers - just to tell you how dire the market situation is.
Ixsir has a limited edition of bottles out enticing people to add color to their celebration. Usually the bottles are co-branded with an up-and-coming and promising illustrator. Not this year. Obviously due to budget restriction.
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Beauty x Magic for Izzat Daouk gave birth to something akin to ugliness and black magic. I am sure effort was injected in this ad. But am truly not a fan.
A long long time ago, there was a Johnnie Walker ad which went "some gifts are too good to give away" (whereby a man is writing a card to accompany a bottle of Johnnie Walker wrapped near him, he ends up drinking the whisky and wrapping the gold pen). I talk of this ad because Johnnie Walker has an ad for Blue Label which can set you back more than 300 USD. At that price, take my pen.
Reva is gifting "dreams for Christmas". Considering my many many insomniac nights, yes please. Also it was belatedly pointed out to me that "reva" and "dreams" are one and the same words, I missed the double-entendre.
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As a friend of mine joked - buy tights and get a car, or mostly, the other way around. A bit of a head-scratcher if you ask me.
As you can see, some effort has been done. Nothing to write home about, but there is a very shy activity going on. Nothing like the mega campaigns that used to be done in the past, but one can feel the budgets squeezed to the maximum, and since the whole country is not in top shape, I suppose the ad scene sort of mirrors that.
So GS went for an advent calendar this December. Open the slot of every day and behind is a selection of gifts you can pick from their stores. Quite smart actually, because it gives them space and time, daily, to exhibit the panoply of their wares up until the 25th of December. Also, every day, not just one item is exhibited but a multitude of items that can go for every gender and age. Interestingly, the whole thing is dipped as "Secret Santa" but we know better.
And the end of year card is here! Looks like you have been all good boys and girls to deserve one (I am realizing through my archive that some years I was lax and did not do one).
Here's the backlog though! What it strange however is that - for someone as organized as I am, it took me forever to find them - there is however one missing from 2002 (back when I was in Saudi Arabia but I do recall it was a simple downloaded nativity scene).
So here they are the cards throughout the years.
2000 - reissued 2008:
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2009:
2011:
2012:
2013:
2014:
2015:
2016:
2018:
2019:
