Maliks posts a series of very confusing ads

Maliks is a it again. This time with a serious of incomprehensible, confusing, barely decipherable ads, a bit like reading hieroglyphics. Debate ranged on Linkedin (here) some people who are smarter than me managed to decode the billboards into one Lebanese proverb and a part of the Hadith (related to Prophet Mohammed): Teaching a small child is like engraving a stone (al 3ilm fil sighar kal na2ch 3ala el 7ajar) and ask for education even in China (outloubou el 3elm wa la fi al Sin). 

People who did manage to decode are way smarter than me (which is funny as I am very smart but I digress). Me? I managed to understand one as "it is a headcracker to teach your kids now that you brought them to the world" (Kasser rassak ta t3alem wledak). Why? I happened to read the billboard from left to right (the Latin way) not right to left (the Arabic way). A mistake which is forgivable considering the ad does not make sense - head tail (or whatever way you are reading it). 

Malik really, really upped the ante, and no it does not work when it takes a committee of several people to get what they are saying. Previous ads under the "ma7loule" label (here) were easier to grasp.

Maliks goes Mandarin, no not the fruit

Another of those ads which are either too smart or not too smart. Malik's goes on with its "ma7loule" streak (ma7loule means "the answer is easy"). This one however, has a problem, not in the answer, but in the problem itself. It took so far 5 people to decode this, all of us armed with decades of working in advertising, to arrive to - nothing. No one could make head or tails of this. It was all Chinese to us. No wait, this is Chinese!

Maliks goes for Mother's Day

Maliks is at it again, oddly they fell on a good idea. Which of course means they have the worst most cheapening art direction ever! Because, of course! Now there might be a bit of undertone on this ad meaning that "M" is also "oum" (or mother in Arabic) but I don't think they dug that deep and they just went with the first letter of the logo. But again, Maliks and I said it many times just tries too hard, except on this one, idea-wise they were really really on the money. So here's hoping.

Can Maliks please stop trying?

First there was here and here. And now this. Look, this is neither funny nor gimmicky nor a great copy and the logo sucks. So can we at least stop this because it hurts the eyes and insults the intelligence as well. And in case anyone needs an explanation "malik(s)" means "owner" so the ad translates into "you (Maliks) my heart" (you own my heart). Please. Stop. This.

Malik's, still trying too hard

Remember when I said Malik's was trying too hard (here), so we start off the year with more of the same. To be clear the ads are not "bad", they just don't appear "organic". As if - not sure how to put this - really, as if the audience wouldn't catch this so they have to be spelled out. I mean do we need to have the pun of "alam" (which can be written as "kalam" which means pen and "alam" which means pain) to be underlined to get it? So the ad goes "hopefully this year this is the only pen/pain" - points were awarded for the effort.

Malik's bookshop goes back to school.

Hmmm not sure what Malik's was aiming at, but his whole campaign centers around "mahlouli" which is Arabic for "settled" or "the result is done". The idea is no matter what the question is this is the answer because - either they have ChatGPT or alternatively they sell the books for it (with answers in tow I presume). There is even an English version which honestly does not work at all. The back to school campaign are very very meager this year (as with everything else in the market) so at least Malik's tried.