Tawfeer gets a degree, sort of.

I asked google. Well, yes, turns out Tawfeer supermarket was the (Quality Management System) and ISO 22000:2018 (Food Safety Management System) certifications. But that also Spinneys maintians ISO food safety standards across specific departments. So according to the Tawfeer ad it is "the first supermarket to get a degree", which I guess is correct on supermarket scale, because Spinneys has it across specific departments (if you think this is unique, universities have ISO certification in specific faculties). But the ad in itself is compatible with what Tawfeer has been offering as of late, ads to seduce the masses who are tightening their belts and their their drawstring purses trying to save a buck as everyone is now seduced by prices above all else.

Happy and Tawfeer go to price wars

Tawfeer and Happy are hitting the sweet spot Lebanese have been lately responding to - prices. Well, since as I often argue, brand loyalty is out the window since the financial crisis hit Lebanon in 2019, Lebanese have become extremely price sensitive, so much that both Tawfeer and Happy (who dub themselves as discount supermarkets) actually initiated a series of billboards with their latest discounted items on them. I managed to capture those of Happy but not for Tawfeer which had other ads for opening in Jbeil by the way. So I resorted to Instagram for the way both are going for the jugular in terms of prices.

On the streets it goes a bit like this:

So yes, each one is just displaying products, the latest price discount, on billboards, on the streets, and obviously, Lebanese find this comforting as they try to save bucks left and right (do note this is by no means a judgement, as most of us are in this situation).

Whereas, a mentioned, Tawfeer has its own products on billboards, now they are also stressing the opening of their Byblos branch, using - what else but? - that lovely house by the sea next to the archeological site.

So all of this is truly a reflection of where the Lebanese people stand now. Incredibly seduced by price reductions, not exactly caring about the brands they buy, and basically just wanting to stretch their salaries as much as they could be stretched.

Tawfeer - breathtaking Fawatir Ramadan campaign

Forget Sherihan and her fawazir (riddles)! 

On second thought she is unforgettable!

But hang in there with me - Tawfeer the supermarket which built its reputation on savings has an incredible Ramadan ad. The trick? To call it "Fawatir Ramadan" along with the usual "folkloric" brouhahah (it is implied the couple in the ad are Shahrazad and Shahrayar of the One thousand and one nights tale). The ribbon coming from her tantour and reaching his feathered turban is actually a long bill (the kind you get on the till) to coincide with "Ramadan bills" (which means "fawatir"). The ad is impeccable, yet blink and you'll read it "fawazir". Truly a beautiful, lovely ad, well-thought and incredibly well-designed to boot. All elements that lead to loving it. Respect to anyone who concepted, designed and approved this one. A real beauty.

Tawfeer flexes its cart muscles

Well, you don't see that every day, a cart flexing its muscles. Well, the image is from their instagram although the campaign is all over the billboards. Tawfeer prides itself for its low prices (actually "tawfeer" literally means "sparing money"), and they are emphasizing the slogan "no one can beat us" ergo the card with the flexed muscle as a visual. Is it tacky? Yes. It is visually arresting? For better or for worse, yes. Does it hit the target audience wishing to spend less? In today's economy in Lebanon, also a yes. So, regardless of the visual, the campaign delivers indeed for its desired audience.

Tawfeer lands itself a lovely double whammy

Tawfeer, which labels itself as "a discount concept for FMCG retail where the consumers find all their basic shopping needs at cheapest price in the market", has two lovely ads - with one "with Tawfeer, your goodness/generosity increases" and with the other "with Tawfeer, your gatherings are more plentiful". With very minimal visuals, that completely translate the idea(s) via sweets/coffee cups, you immediately get it. So more is there to ask then? Honestly, not much. Lovely double whammy.

Tawfeer - all over town and then some

A discount supermarket? Well, say no more - suddenly Tawfeer is all over the place. And by that I mean the gigantic campaign it has launched. Really, every other billboard is now exhibiting the Tawfeer campaign, which basically has three visuals all of them claiming the same thing (interestingly, the three visuals are of different colors, so it's not like you were mistaking them or anything), the line they picked is "there's nothing better than our prices but our quality" all this signed with "your intelligent choice". Do note that the background of the billboards is actual products they sell (above you can see pasta and chocolate). I suppose with Christmas right behind the corner, Tawfeer decided to be the place where people would shop with a value proposition considering everyone is trying to save their penny to say the least.

Tawfeer goes with a right-this-moment ad

We have seen them too many times. Ads that refer to immediate events - events that in retrospect seem unimportant once they're gone and done. In this case the petroleum (or rather lack of petroleum) crisis that engulfed Lebanon a month (or was that 2 months?) back. Still, no matter, Tawfeer (which literally means saving) has an ad that goes "fawelha" (which is what people say to gas station attendants - "fill it up"). Of course, by now the double-entendre is too old and rather stale. I think in retrospect this tendency for advertising the here-and-now event has proved too tactical rather than strategic and in the long run has not served the brands well. But when can one do when creatives are not that creatives and clients are not educated?