Nike - "sport is never done". But does it speak Arabic?

Nike has got a new film out (here)

One for the region, yet one not from the region.

Let me explain, yes the film was shot in the Arab region, yes it supposedly talks on behalf of the region's kids to the parents in question, and yes it dispels the idea that sports are a waste of time. But for the life of me as a copywriter I am ready to bet that the ad was written in a different language then transcribed to Arabic. Whomever wrote it is not an Arab native.

All the expressions used have a whiff of foreignness to them. "Head in the cloud" "if my friends jump, I jump" "hanging with the wrong crowd" etc... This is not how Arab parents speak to their sons or daughters. Compare this to the brilliant "what will they say about you?" which seems much more to be talking "Arabic", the way it is talked (or thought of) regionally.

Do note, in a region where obesity levels are obscene, where the ability to move is incredibly restricted due to weather, soaring temperatures and yes, social norms, "sport is never done" is a good message to spread. So for this alone, extra marks for Nike.

Castania trail mix - no hike necessary

Well, here we are - something not elections related! Castania, a Lebanese leader in nuts is advertising its Trail Mix - you know, those dried fruits and nuts people munch on for energy during hikes. Mind you with many people avoiding hikes due to Coronavirus (and again understandably so), the timing can be a little odd. But the lovely pop art infused visual makes it for a lovely addition on billboards (which again are not very used as of late since the crisis began in 2019 - some billboards still carry the signs of an end-of-year party when we are already in almost mid-March).

Decathlon shines brightly with Romance

Is there anything Romance ad agency cannot do? Well, here we are - fresh from their multiple successes for Intermarche or Uber Eats, they now offer Decathlon the kind of dream campaign the brand can only dream of by way of very - very short messages. Concrete is better with sports. Sundays are better with sports. Water is better with sports. Showers are better with sports....

Why?

Because sports make the world better.

Of course, this goes in the line of the Luminou campaign (dans le noir on peu le voir), but still - it is also very right on target, very right on brand message, and by heavens, Romance strikes again! See the films in succession on this link.

Gandour Foods excels in tags

Gandour Foods aces when it comes to hashtags. Now am not a believer in the power of tags, still, at least this one is interesting copy wise. It all started with Gandour foods deciding to team up with coach Adam Khoury to entice its clients to take better care of their health. Health in Arabic means "so7a". And well, when one eats, instead of saying bon appetit, we say "so7tein" (two healths - Arabic, like Slovenian and a small part of the Serbian language has singular, dual, and plural). Which gave rise to the Gandour tag #الصحة_صارت_صحتين - health becomes two healthy. Again, not sure how effective but at least well done. See video here.