With #RedressLebanon, AlNahar aims for awards not readers.

I am starting to detect a pattern here (har, har) - I mean with the way AlNahar newspaper is advertising itself.

First the campaign itself - in their own words:

"Emanating from the mesh that covered most wrecked and destroyed buildings in Beirut following the explosion of August 4th, Zuhair Murad creates a design to transform this fabric into art and dress the city in a befitting gown. To this day, the AlNahar building, which was heavily affected, remains enveloped in this fabric.

In support of the victims of the blast and their families, #RedressLebanon is selling 10452 NFTs of this dress to raise funds for them. All proceeds will go to “IDRAAC” NGO."

Now, fresh from their Cannes Lions win, AlNahar goes for another award-worthy idea. OK not them, their advertising agency. But I digress.

Look, if AlNahar wanted to target readers, they'd be printing top-notch articles rather than clickbaits. If AlNahar wanted to target readers, it would have promoted mid-level journalists to higher positions. And I go on, indefinitely. But AlNahar and its advertising agency are vying for awards, not for readers.

You know, if they really cared about simple communication, they would have unified how their name is in Latin - is it AlNahar or Annahar (as their website goes?). 

See? Before the awards, address those simple rules.

But then again next year's Cannes Lions await.

NFT comes to Lebanon courtesy of the newly launched Phat2 website

And here we are! Phat2.com is online. Who? Well, unless you have been sleeping under a rock Phat2 has been tagging the city and applying super graffiti all over town - changing and morphing and refining its style (when other crews focused on marketing themselves at the expense of their abilities - no names but I do have specific people in mind). And indeed, I have covered Phat2 prior - and am even linked in their press section. But as always, am rooting for people who do things with authenticity and heart. And George Khoury the man behind Phat2 does all this with gusto!

Which bring us to the NFT bit - the Non-Fungible Tokens - which Phat2 developed. All NFT are actually sold on the website with their original counterparts. As always the art is indeed gutsy, colorful and expressive (see it here). It seems the website also accepts Crypto currency, which certainly comes in handy to some people. "NFTs have been gaining ground and anyone who is anyone has put their hat in the game, from luxury companies like Gucci to stars and sports celebrities! So it was time to plunge into it" said Khoury in a private talk. And to know that, in the middle of the current breakdown in Lebanon, someone (namely Khoury) has launched into this with furor only makes one respect what he is doing more. But again, as I said, NFTs seem to be the future and so it is truly a pleasure to see someone in Lebanon - where electricity is rationed severely - still being able to ride the wave and go with the flow. 

Of course, I might be biased considering I was responsible for bringing graffiti to the academic circles (with my archeWALLogy series of books - see here) but still, in all objectivity, it seems George Khoury is leading us - by hook or by crook - towards the future and electricity rationing be damned!