Roadster nabs a Tiktok Award via TBWA\RAAD

So it seems Roadster grabbed itself a Tiktok Award! The whole thing - a first for the region actually - happened in Dubai. You can catch the whole thing here. Roadster actually seems to have been a bronze medalist for its campaign "You Be The Judge" orchestrated by TBWA\RAAD, Lebanon - in case you wish to have a refresher at the wonderful self-depreciating campaign please look no further than here. So in a country where we just had a ceasefire, it seems our creative juices are always there. If I understood correctly from Linkedin this comes from the desk of Georges Kyrillos and his teams there (am thinking Jad Chidiac, Maya Nassif, Hiba Shmaysani and Mira El Fil) . Always a refresher to be validated by the industry I guess!

Bi Jnounak b7ebbak is our new winter tourism slogan.

Artwork by Tarek Chemaly

Hold the presses, TBWA just announced that "bi jnounak b7ebbak" (I love you in your madness - a lyric from the Fairouz song "b7ebbak ya Lebnan" - up to my knowledge the song debuted in 1979 in the now iconic "Fairouz a l'Olympia" concert but I could be mistaken) is Lebanon's new winter tourism slogan. The below is from today's The Guardian newspaper:

"TBWA chief creative officer Walid Kanaan said it was “near-impossible” to find ways to market a country in the grip of multi-layered economic and political crises, but that he had found inspiration in Lebanon’s people.

“This is our country, a crazy country, crazy in its nightlife, crazy in its food and generosity. And no matter how crazy the situation in Lebanon is, we can only say, ‘we love you in your madness’,” Kanaan said, unveiling the slogan."

Now, with the Gulf nations not wanting their nationals coming to Lebanon, I am assuming the targeted audience might be Europeans. By the way, to be honest I am not aware if the slogan will be in Arabic or Latin (maybe this could define further the audience in question). Of course, perhaps - with people starting to speak about the slogan, and in extenso the country - maybe the campaign has started to show signs of strategic success, and if this translates into tactical and tangible results, so much the better.

In other news yesterday a Slovenian friend sent me this message: "I did not know things are this bad in Lebanon, Valerio and I scrapped our visit and I think we will just go to Rome."