Blak - a new whisky in town

Well what is better than a festive month to introduce a new whisky brand in town? Meet Blak (more info here) - yes sans "c" - which apparently is the new black according to the ad. Actually the ad is well done, very distinguished in tone and I am not sure if this reflects on the price of the alcohol in question (Just to be clear however, I am not sure if the ad contains racist intonations or not, because these days it is all walking on thin ice). Interestingly this is not the first year where new alcohol brands get introduced right before the festivities. Usually the brands use very generic images, often include English mistakes in the headlines and tend to vanish right after new year (here is an example). Blak seems however to be a cut above judging from the effort that was inserted in the ad. 

By the way, Blak has several ads on facebook (here) which remind me a lot of the tone of voice used by Aishti way back in the day - meaning dark-ish colors, upscale surroundings, velvety ambiance, etc....

Glenbey, an ad which lacks a backbone

Glenbey - from the Glens of Scotland to the shores of of Lebanon. Here's the idea of the ad: A man takes his dog for a walk in the highlands of Scotland, arrives to a wooden hut, asks for a glass of whisky and the barmaid tells him it is "raised in Lebanon" when he wonders if it is "Scottish". 

Look, I can sympathize with the people who did the ad, in a country where everything is on a shoestring budget, the ad is actually well-done. Though truth be told, there's no fooling anyone about Scotland by way of Lebanese mountains. The worst bit is the lack of concept. Which I find puzzling from the same agency which gave us the KSARA Army Day classic ad. But I digress, the schizophrenia starts elsewhere - a "Scottish" whisky with a Phoenician boat as a logo. Still, there could have been a million other ways to sell this more intelligently. Hint: How about an ad that would go "all the taste, none of the kilt" - with a woman wearing the checkered skirt instead of the usual man wearing the kilt (you're welcome).

I know it seems odd to shoot down one of the rare ads actually produced in Lebanon as of late, especially when I tend to like the output of the said agency, but there's an element in the ad that lacks a backbone and that truly bothers me. Well, I raise my glass to the next one!