This blog does not compete with other publications

Interesting, yesterday it was pointed out to me that my blog - design, format and presentation wise - needs to be reconfigured to compete with the likes of AdAge or other prestigious publications. Took me a split of a second to decide against it.
To begin with, the current design is the fruit of very deep consideration, I chose the most minimal design, the neutral background, the totally laid back header, no navbar, the unobtrusive favicon, and absent cross columns or footers. Basically, a totally calm, no nonsense body which contains an image (at times done by myself) and the most unbiased analysis there is.
The furore of blogging has subsided in Lebanon long ago, but even then communication centered blogs were incredibly rare. There was the incredibly interesting Brofessional Review (one of its members, Imad Gebrayel has gone to more conceptual and thought provoking things). There are also the witty and smart Beirut Drive By Shooting, from which I would source images (with credit!) when it became challenging for me logistically to shoot my own images at a certain point.
I apologize if there was someone I forgot but communication wise there was only these two, apart from my own blog, who were the most consistent. And I am now the only one holding the fort.
Now, the question is, why don't ArabAd or Communicate or any other publication consider me as a competitor? (I was about to ask "why don't I consider ArabAd or Communicate or any other publication as competitors" before realizing how arrogant phrasing the question like that is).
To begin with, it's almost - almost - as if we do not speak to the same audience. Naturally, we all revolve in the same circles, talk about the same topics (albeit from different angles - with Communicate losing its Lebanese leg (no pun) it became more GCC/Dubai focused), and we all know the same people (again, in different capacities). But if you look at the material presented by either ArabAd or Communicate, you will realize how different their scope is from mine.
And, you'd be surprised how all of us are chummy - whereas recently it is incredibly rare for me to collaborate with other publications, we (by that I mean other publications and myself) exchange thoughts by email or DMs interposed (more often than not), and as the saying goes in Arabic "ma 7ada byekol min sa7n 7ada" (no one eats from anyone else's plate). An exclusive to one is respected as such, or at other times there's a "have you heard that" info which we slide to one another and so on and so forth.
It is not out of arrogance, but a blog that started since January 2007 has earned its place at the table. The many who dismissed me as "bokra byezha2" (he'll end up getting bored), or those who bombarded me with hate mail (record is 23 public hate mail in one day in 2011 by a Lebanese agency), or those who denigrated me have either stopped, given up or just plain disappeared from the radar.
I am now a juror at the Epica Awards, and the newly established PHNX festival, I lectured in advertising (and other assorted topics) between 2005 and 2019 in Lebanese universities. If I say so, again not out of arrogance but rather a testament how interested in advertising I still am. But hey, someone did call me once "washed up blogger turned advertiser" (sorry I still giggle about that one!) so who knows where the truth lies.
But again, do not bet on me redesigning or re configuring the blog. It fulfills its function as such.

Al Mosafer: stories of Mecca

Today, as we know marks the beginning of Eid; a celebration that’s observed by 1.8 billion Muslims around the world. And as we know, It’s tradition among Muslims to visit Mecca during Ramadan and Eid - for prayers to observe the two religious celebrations as well as for Umrah (the year-round pilgrimage).
But this year, due to the situation and the health crisis owing to COVID-19, Mecca is under absolute lockdown, even during Ramadan and Eid. Even people living in Saudi Arabia cannot travel to Mecca. This has never happened in our lifetime. With these lockdowns and travel restrictions prevalent in Saudi Arabia, Ramadan 2020 and Eid 2020 are uniquely challenging, on a spiritual and emotional level, for those who follow the faith.
So, on the occasion of Eid, Al Mosafer (yes, the same one that brought us the incredibly moving Ramadan ad last year), a travel platform from Saudi Arabia, decided that if people can't travel to Mecca, their stories of Mecca can. Memories of Mecca are brought to people, in a film made by people themselves, titled ‘Stories of Mecca’.
Given that the film couldn’t be shot due to lockdowns in Mecca, a campaign on social media launched during Ramadan invited people everywhere to share their memories of Mecca. People from 52 countries contributed. Over 10 hours of stories were sifted through and then, the selected shots were stitched together in a film that’s told through the format of social media stories about Mecca. Because even though Mecca may be locked down, its stories will go on.

What I truly love about the film is how genuinely moving it is. The images are not professionally shot but in the amateurism one can be truly awed by the experience. With this, best wishes for the Eid to anyone celebrating it, and I know the circumstances in Lebanon are not ideal but we forge through!

In praise of the eternal Beirut5Ampere.

Images copyrighted to Beirut5ampere.org

Today, because I am asked about these images frequently, I am republishing this post which dates back to August 9, 2012:
Just in case you were busy with the Baalbeck, Byblos, and Beiteddine, you might have missed this series of awesome concerts offered by the guys from Beirut5ampere.org - namely "Jimmy Almouhandrix" (the engineer in case you didn't get it), Led Zepplin singing "Mar2ad anze" LP tour (too difficult to explain) including the hit single "Sellom bel 3ard" (holding the latter vertically - but also a word play on "Stairway to heaven"). Oum Koulsoum will grace Madison Square Garden in an effort to ease up Michele Bachmann anti-Islamic witch hunt, and Pink Floyd (yes, the old line up) will be doing the audio-visual bonanza of "Dark side of Bhamdoun" including the hits "See Oum Elie play" (as a reference to "See Emily play" - one of the very rare songs along Billy Idol's "Dancing with myself" which tackle the topic of... playing with one's self!) - do note the difference in pricing for Lebanese and Gulf tourists however. These are indeed concerts for the moteur generation.

Let's get digital!

Artwork by Tarek Chemaly

So, to misquote Olivia Newton John - let's get digital. I keep reading antagonistic data - book reading is on the up, but Amazon teamed up with American Vogue to sell designer clothes because traditional stores that would carry these designers are now closed. Apparently, the way we shop will forever change, then on the first day of lockdown easing in Paris there was a long queue in front of Zara. And so on and so forth. But, to me, going digital is something engrained in me (even if I am a bit of a Luddite who does not shop online and has no credit card).
But let us go back to the beginning.
I recently joined the PHNX tribute festival as a juror. Actually, the whole festival is digital and entry is free to replace all the shows that got cancelled this year. I am also, a part of a major international collective which was supposed to do events spanning from Montreal to Vienna to Amsterdam and Beirut. Realizing opportunities for travel are now quasi-non-existent, we now switched to discussing how to transport all the events to a digital realm. And the list continues.
I am sure we are not alone in this. As people now stand apart and minimize interaction, working from home has become a viable option when previously it was not. My own lockdwon started way before anyone else's in a bid to save money, but I am still incredibly productive, and still reach out to my limited number of friends via digital tools (something other people are learning to do now!).
Do I miss people? Rarely to be honest. I am not by the way, trying to extrapolate my modus operandi and apply it to everyone: I am totally aware that what works for me (introverted, driven, with a touch of OCD) does not work for more extroverted individuals with a more leisurely pace of work.
Still - with schools, universities and companies closed - either because of the Coronavirus, or due to the dire economic situation in Lebanon (or worldwide for that matter), perhaps the time has come to redefine how we work and live and spend our time and connect to one another as individuals.
Want it or not, it seems the digital realm is going to grow. And even Luddite credit cardless people like me need to take note.

Dear agencies let's go digital!

Artwork by Tarek Chemaly

The current crisis hitting the advertising market in Lebanon could - paradoxically - bring with it its own silver lining. All it takes is for agencies to be less stubborn and greedy. Yet asking that from such people who would rather cut their nose to spite their face, even when their own survival is at stake, seems to be nearly impossible. The blueprint I speak of is easy - instead of capitalizing on OOH (which is expensive and no longer effective as I argued here) or dying newspapers (as explained here) or magazines (rationale here) now is the time to go digital.
The problem? Digital brings much less money, does not offer the opportunity for kickbacks with production companies, goes against the logic of the large agencies as more nimble and agile ones are a better fit and - ooops - does not fit the calcified mentalities of dinosaurish ad people in Lebanon. As I said, they'd rather die than change models.
Sure I am a sucker for well-produced ads which cost an arm and a leg, but remember, most ads end up being seen on youtube! And today's phones have the capacities that old cinematographers only could dream of, without mentioning photoshop and all the programs which a single person can use to produce what before used to take a whole army to do (I go back to nimble agencies I spoke of).
It is in times of crisis like these that possible things can happen - new alternatives can be seen as viable. This is the jolt we all need in the industry in Lebanon right now - a new way to see things and implement them differently.
I truly believe we are now being handed the opportunity to focus on a new system, let us not waste it and hang on to the remnants of an old, archaic structure.

The dying magazines in Lebanon and how not to get them back!

Artwork by Tarek Chemaly based on the Femme Magazine logo

Count with me: Elle (Oriental), L'officiel, Noun, Snob (Al Hasnaa), Femme magazine and the list goes on. I previously did a post about newspapers and one about Future TV (ps - LDC which is part of the LBC group of TVs is also a casualty, but it does not count as this post focuses on magazines that closed down in 2019).
So there, the list continues to the surprise of no one. The head of communication at a major institution told me once that all the ads in the print dailies and magazines were "tenfi3at" - now that such institutions are eliminating all non-essential spending (including coffee machines in HQs!!) these publications no longer have a lifeline.
But truth be told, there was just no logic in their existence to begin with- say you are a woman who wants to see the latest fashion show: You go to instagram and see the brands you are following and basically get all images uploaded about 5 minutes after the show. You want styling tips? Infuencers are there to help you (while wearing clothes generously donated by brands - even if most still want you to believe they bought them with their hard earned money!). If I am giving these examples specifically it is because most magazines cited are oriented towads women and lifestyle.
But again, when major publishers and this includes Conde Nast - this would be Vogue owner! - is trying to keep its publications afloat through various formulas (be it subscription, paid content, firewall, video publishing and what not!) how can you blame struggling magazines in Lebanon past their expiry dates when it comes to their usefulness. Weekly there is caroussel of editors being laid off under the diplomatic terms of "seeking other opportunities" (and this is on the international scene).
We all want our information here and now - no one will wait for a weekly and much less monthly publication. Naturally, there are some who are trying but are doing so in altenative ways (The Face was reborn in 2019 but in a format different than its original iconic run).
Those who think I am against the press, or as someone accused me on Linkedin "would you want to see the newsstand empty?", remember: I run an incredibly successful blog since 2007 - yes January 2007. That's a long time people - do I earn money out of it?
Let me reprint my answer:
"This blog does not make money, I admit to it. I did not wish for my readership to be bought and sold or for my readers to think my opinion about an ad is skewed because I was paid to comment on it. Still, want it or not, it is a respectable publication, I went to Sweden because of it, was invited to lecture in Oslo, am a member of the Epica Awards (the only blogger there) due to its content, and the list continues. I could easily sell out in search for quick income, but I did not (and yes, it is "costly" in certain ways - I admit). But well, the golden age of money-making in print is long gone (as one publisher quipped when told a book was being published by a not-for-profit foundation "Oh, I thought the whole industry was!").
No, we cannot get these newspapers back - and sadly clickbait is being used by publications (not just in Lebanon but our local example is quite risible!) to attract readers online. Good, smart, meaningful content will always win, do not forget that."
So yes, the blog does not make money, but I still can't see a better image tool for myself!