2024-04-17 06:06
All right, my sample is certainly biased, but whenever I ask any youth where they are working, 1 over 2 of them says the name of an NGO. And yet for many NGOs carry an incredibly bad rap - t… Read More
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Tarek Chemaly Blog
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Pop Culture, POPaganda, and media critique from the world over and Lebanon specifically.
2024-04-13 13:25
Artwork by Tarek ChemalyIn case you have been living under a rock, Lebanon is having a... challenging week (yes, again). You can go elsewhere for all the details. Suffice to say the Christia… Read More
2024-04-09 07:30
Well, so the IAA (Lebanese Chapter) is announcing the relaunch of the International Advertising Association Young Professionals chapter. Per their own words: "The IAA YP chapter is dedicated… Read More
2024-04-07 06:33
Well IPT seems to be on a roll. First watch their World Health Day here. Then a lovely reminder of what they did on Mother's Day here. OK, so I am going to disregard including McDonald's in… Read More
2024-04-07 06:11
Ah all apologies to Joe Fish, this one slipped through the cracks for Mother's Day (which was March 21 in Lebanon). The ads are really cute to be honest. They present the problem and the sol… Read More
2024-04-06 06:31
In a previous post dated June 22, 2021 I wrote the following story (here):"You know the old adage, that in times of crisis brands should advertise more. So that when the crisis ends their na… Read More
2024-04-01 11:54
Heard about the De22ou el Chamasi issue? First look at the ad - here. It is for Al Ahli Malak - and I thought it was cute as a button (lovely, lively, well-styled, bubble gum colored, a… Read More
2024-03-31 06:04
Apparently yesterday was "International Zero Waste Day". I was an environmentalist even before the word. I grew up in a family where nothing was thrown away, everything was "make do and mend… Read More
2024-03-26 09:37
Photo by Natalia NasserWell, this might have several meanings. But let's recap. First this is taken right next to the entrance of City Mall in Hazmieh. So? Le Charcutier does not have a bran… Read More
2024-03-25 06:48
Remember those Jacquemus Bambino bags cruising in Paris in April 2023 which made everyone wonder if they were real of fake? (actually they were fake and the 3D artist behind them is called I… Read More
2024-03-21 13:22
IPT has nailed it indeed... What's more interesting than road signs? Road signs written by mothers! "slow down sweetie there's a curve ahead". "promise me not to go fast baby", "don't overta… Read More
2024-03-19 13:18
So Aramex has spoken. And spoken eloquently indeed. What seemed a "package" sent by an elderly man ends up having a very different story indeed. Whereas we do not know what is in the package… Read More
2024-03-18 06:24
Photo: Bassam KaramNow, how do you tell a campaign without a backbone? It is firing on all fronts but missing most - if not all - if its targets. Let's recap. Vegans went all out, I covered… Read More
2024-03-17 10:24
Here's a thought, when a company changes its logo, it is either because it is changing its line of products, its target audience, and therefore its target market, or it has changed its whole… Read More
2024-03-16 08:28
Photo credit: Bassam KaramSo this is an ad, not just for vegetarians - but for out and out vegans. Well, thankfully no nudity (I'd rather go naked than wear fur for Peta comes to mind). But… Read More
2024-03-15 06:34
Copyright ArabadAnd in Case you did not read it yet, please check this year's round up about advertising in Lebanon in the yearly issue about the country from ArabAd. Long but worth it. Here… Read More
2024-03-12 18:07
So the month of Ramadan is upon us and may it be blessed on everyone. Here's a fact: I grew up in what was known as Eastern Beirut - the Christian quarter. So I was not exactly involved in M… Read More
2024-03-12 10:17
At this point, I have crossed the 100th Syrian refugee family asking to rent the upper floor of my house. My answer from the get-go was no. I can already see your judgement - you are "racist… Read More
2024-03-09 07:16
Photo credit: Natalia NasserThe photo above shows two very interesting things. The first is that Silkor, which has long pushed its laser and hair removal procedures to the forefront of its a… Read More
2024-03-08 13:27
Artwork by Tarek ChemalyInspired by Michel Sardou's "Etre une femme" please read my own كون مرا - to all you women out there who know their worth:ك… Read More
2024-03-08 11:53
It could be just me but I am not sure this hit the right notes. See the reel here. Cute, Small, big, suave - and proud. I know they are supposed to describe their bottles but the innue… Read More
2024-03-08 09:05
So today is Women's Day. Not always an achievement sadly. Almaza has gone right on the job (literally) to talk to male and female employees about the role and impact of women on the workplac… Read More
2024-03-07 16:40
Artwork by Tarek ChemalyAll right, color me upset. Yesterday, an agency sent me a teaser for their campaign. A very well-written teaser actually. I emailed back asking the name of that talen… Read More
2024-03-05 08:58
Ah Optique et Vision, a shop of which my family and myself are occasionally clients is celebrating its 75th year. Well, that's a lot of years and a lot of glasses! And what do you know? They… Read More
2024-03-04 07:42
BUMC has a warning and a very legitimate one at that. "Avoid danger. Only electric and hybrid Toyota cars sold via BUMC enjoy warranty from the Toyota international factory". OK, so the idea… Read More
2024-03-03 08:51
Oh... If this means what I think it means then it is quite funny. Normally when you visit someone and they offer you something, you say "mich jeyin njarebkon" - which means "were're not here… Read More
2024-03-02 06:32
Divella - well, this is a brand I notice in the supermarket. With a high price-quality ratio. Yes, we are one of the families that drifted from Barilla when brand-loyalty got replaced with p… Read More
2024-02-29 07:32
If anyone knows me, then my obsession is memory and archive comes to the front. And so today I wake up with this beautiful gem (from Mink no less!) who has worked with L'Orient le Jour (whic… Read More
2024-02-28 13:04
Well, what do you know? In Arabic fairy tales start with "kan ya ma kan" (there was there was not).... And Lux does this in real life with brilliance. Did it happen? Did it not? Who cares wh… Read More
2024-02-28 07:56
Remember Nahnoo? (here). Well, guess who is back? This ad is - actually more explicit than the previous one (even if the creative angle leaves me perplexed). OK this one goes "municipalities… Read More
2024-02-27 08:33
Hmmm.... I could be mistaken, but I was always under the impression that Al Wadi Al Akhdar already had jams. According to their website they do (here). So it is a little strange to see them… Read More
2024-02-26 06:11
Just to be clear, I am not trying to be witty or mean or whatever. I saw this ad and still not sure what to make of it. Gac Motor (OK, it could be just me, but not familiar with that brand)… Read More
2024-02-25 07:17
File this under "advertising is becoming too smart for me" or under "I am becoming too dull to understand advertising". Kfardebyan. Lovely village innit? Well, get this: It is now the "capit… Read More
2024-02-24 16:01
Well, Yes (the detergent) has a new ad. That's the good news.The bad news? It's idiotic.All right, all right. It is colourful, it displays the products, it aims at all the Lebanese factions… Read More
2024-02-24 06:36
When I spoke of the January advertising slump (here), Naji Boulos of Jicebe joked that hopefully it will not stretch till February or March. Here we are, almost end of February, and what do… Read More
2024-02-22 09:11
After last year's ho-hum crop of awards (save a couple - read here). Pikasso d'Or is back - as in back. The results this year do make much more sense. Marked under "the wave of the future" t… Read More
2024-02-19 07:25
"Ca va sans dire, mais ca va mieux en le disant" (it goes without saying, but it goes better saying it) said Charles De Gaulle: Lebanon has become a de facto cash economy. With banks holding… Read More
2024-02-18 08:08
Ah here were are again, still talking about that silly, trashy Comin ad. Well, is this a triumph for them? They do say "bad publicity is good publicity". If this is the case then Comin was a… Read More
2024-02-16 12:59
Photo credit - Georges SerhanNot sure where to start. Or maybe I am jumping the gun (har har)... But is that a gun in my pocket or is that ad happy to see me? Well, here we are. Comin, the i… Read More
2024-02-14 15:35
Surreal - the cereals - apparently teamed up with Hanx - the condoms for a double ad (for Valentine's that is!), one is "great for spooning" and the other is "great for forking", will let yo… Read More
2024-02-13 16:34
I admit, I knew about this quite late. Apparently an introductory day to kinkiness at KED has been banned. You might read about this at length here. This would not be the first time or the l… Read More
2024-02-12 09:15
Here's another idea that seemed fine when it came out. But it remined me of that image of an old and out of shape Egyptian actor playing tennis - he wanted to look cool but missed the mark… Read More
2024-02-10 08:48
Wow, Exotica has an ad for Valentine's (saw it on Linkedin, so maybe I this is some watered down version). OK, I was not impressed. Just to remind you when H&C (at the time without Leo B… Read More
2024-02-09 08:09
OK, so there's one with Jason Momoa (a failed Flashdance pastiche even including original actress Jennifer Beals), Arnold Schwarzenegger, Robert Downey Jr., Jenna Ortega, Chris Pratt, M… Read More
2024-02-07 08:31
So the Association of Lebanese Industrialists is actually encouraging people to register their business because it will bring them more exposure and widen the breadth of their clientele. The… Read More
2024-02-05 06:40
Spinneys celebrates 75 years. Good for the. The logo is kind of nice. The ad is a little confusing for me though - too glum and nothing celebratory about it if you ask me. Now, the whole thi… Read More
2024-02-03 13:11
First, Omo has a very good Arabic adaptation for their "dirt is good" like "kil khabsa ela ossa" (every spot/blunder has a story). I really love that one. Not obvious to get such a good line… Read More
2024-01-31 16:48
Do you remember Al Mosafer's ad "Stories from Mecca"? Sadly, you don't (here). The budgetless ad that the brilliant brains of Tahaab Rais came up with. Well, here is again, along with Saudia… Read More
2024-01-31 09:29
Two days ago I spoke about Saudi tourism... Maybe now is the time to speak again... Please check the "Messi/Messy" thing here. OK, so the idea of the ad is to get famous football player Mess… Read More
2024-01-29 13:43
So Saudi Arabia is very serious about its tourism. Every other day in whatever online publication I read I see an article about tourism in Saudi Arabia. Some hyperventilating others keeping… Read More
2024-01-28 10:31
So the time has come. Yesterday was the launch event of the IAA Lebanese Chapter Hall Of Fame. An event, literally, years in the making - between the malaise Lebanon has gone through, and th… Read More
2024-01-27 08:19
Just to be clear, I am usually against the "anti" positioning. Beirut Beer did its whole idea as an anti-Almaza so much it forgot its own positive points as a brand. The only time it truly w… Read More
2024-01-24 12:33
See (here) for the full ad. Look on paper I think this was supposed to be funny. First a background: the ad aims to introduce the real estate game-changing payment plan "Touba" as the s… Read More
2024-01-24 08:39
Artwork by Tarek ChemalyAll right, my sample could be flawed so statistically not reliable. But, what's with all ads having "moved digital" - where may I ask are they? Normally my instagram… Read More
2024-01-20 12:07
The world is on fire but we're still buying shoes - (here) by Alec Leach. I guess we are all aware of how destructive our shopping habits are to the planet - and we all turn a blind eye. I w… Read More
2024-01-19 11:52
Artwork by Tarek Chemaly based on an invitation to a Hussein Madi exhibition during the 1975-90 warWe have lost Hussein Madi - on January 17th 2024. That he was an immense and prolific talen… Read More
2024-01-16 12:49
Remember the Chupa Chups lollipop thingy (here)? Well, seems AI is on its way to be more and more involved in children's ad world. Anghami (the leading music and entertainment audio platform… Read More
2024-01-13 10:55
Artwork by Tarek ChemalySo it hit me today, as I was brushing my teeth. Two days ago, marked my 17th year of blogging. Indeed, January 11 2007 was my first blogpost. So, 3,362 (this one incl… Read More
2024-01-09 07:48
A long, long time ago, I actually worked at the airport. I was in top management if you want to know. We used to get Al Liwaa newspaper daily. One day there was a caricature about the presid… Read More
2024-01-05 08:23
Artwork by Tarek ChemalyDry January.No, no, not that dry January (the alcohol-free month), the one where there are no ads in town. You might be forgiven to think that many months a year were… Read More
2024-01-01 08:22
Artwork by Tarek Chemaly from the series "Visit Palestines"In case you are not aware, I am literally a war child. I was born 6 months before the beginning of the 1975-90 was in Lebanon. Grow… Read More
2023-12-28 15:39
And that's a cool one! The end of year card by Pimo is indeed a nice one. I mean... Hey, they did not "stick to the script" and they write their own "blockbuster", and well, their alternate… Read More
2023-12-28 07:50
So the committee for electing best ads of the year convened (OK, fine, that's just me), and the top 5 ads of the year were selected. The main factor I relied on was honestly - not just… Read More
2023-12-24 12:51
And so here were are....Brilliant as always - oh and it uses the product itself in the ad..... Truly a gem. Bokja does the unthinkable by distinguishing themselves in their festive gree… Read More
2023-12-21 14:28
I am not saying they did, I am not saying they didn't, but do compare this Beirut Beer Christmas tree to the Heineken iteration done before. You be the judge Read More
2023-12-21 11:27
Back in the day, every other restaurant, hotel, resort had its own end of year party with artists ranging from A to D and prices conveniently. Actually, one time, popular singer Georges Wass… Read More
2023-12-20 06:21
So apparently we have our own brand of cider. Wata is it! Wata in case you did not know is the name which villages attribute to "the lower part" of their village (Wata el Mghara, Wata el Jaw… Read More
2023-12-17 06:17
This is a legitimate question: Is Lebanon at war or not? And I ask as objectively as possible and in the most unbiased tones. Exhibit A: Al Mashrek Insurance is advertising its "War risk ins… Read More
2023-12-16 07:28
No, it not starting to feel like Christmas. I am not saying this to be the messenger of doom but no matter who I meet, I can detect immediately how crushed, tired and - yes - defeated everyo… Read More
2023-12-12 18:12
Cafe Najjar tried. Really, really tried.But it came to naught.Tried what? To convert a new generation to the merit of ground coffee instead of the easy-to-prepare and at-your-beck-and-call i… Read More
2023-12-12 07:22
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… Read More
2023-12-11 06:24
In the early 90s there was a campaign called "Ana Loubnan" which was broadcast on television. Basically it was a civic campaign enticing people to come back to Lebanon, or - at least - not i… Read More
2023-12-09 19:38
Zara walks into the controversy open-eyed. In this sensitive, very sensitive time marketing-wise, where brands and celebrities are being scrutinized for what they said - or for what they did… Read More
2023-12-07 09:42
So GS went for an advent calendar this December. Open the slot of every day and behind is a selection of gifts you can pick from their stores. Quite smart actually, because it gives them spa… Read More
2023-12-06 07:26
Now that came out of left field! Bayti Store goes for a major political dig... Their prices? "Cheaper than all Arab leaders"... Now only that but they say their products are useful - a dig t… Read More
2023-12-05 09:41
Domestic Work is Work has a lovely campaign indeed, and I know so because they managed to extend it to at least 4 different visuals. The idea is super simple yet efficient: Clothes work or c… Read More
2023-12-02 15:15
This is what Aishti did for end of year in 2021, then 2022, then this for 2023. Look, maybe, just maybe, there was some sort of animation in those 2 years, but for some reason when I saw the… Read More
2023-12-01 09:45
So Oatly wanted to launch in Paris, which apparently could only have billboards with more "art-oriented advertising" (that's the story I read anyway). So the trick they resorted to? They wen… Read More
2023-11-30 10:20
Ah and what a treat this is! Buzzman aces the Krispy Kreme Paris opening... The best croissant in Paris? A munched donut. "We should have opened in Trouville" (trouville is hole-city), "Maca… Read More
2023-11-29 09:08
Bassem Feghali impersonating both Samira Toufic and Sabah on The Stage (LBC)Well, this has been sitting on my chest for a while. In 1986 our late national diva Sabah released her hit single… Read More
2023-11-27 09:44
Artwork by Tarek ChemalyIn case you have not been living under a rock, Ksarak (the beautifully named Arak from Chateau Ksara) had an iconic ad (which you can still see here). The ad had the… Read More
2023-11-23 07:06
Sorry this one slipped through the cracks yesterday, but here it is - again, so very few brands did the effort to come up with anything so this is worth a mention. 1750 Water decided to refe… Read More
2023-11-22 11:25
No surprises here, Ksara did a wonderful Independence Day ad via the always reliable Mink. The trick? Ksara does wine. From what? Grapes. The copy? Our strength is in our unity. The visual?… Read More
2023-11-22 08:27
File this under "I didn't get it but I am sure it means something and it comes from the right place" because honestly, I didn't get it. "We love you till the last piece" all this with the pi… Read More
2023-11-22 08:02
Now that's an unexpected - and good one. Based on the design of the ubiquitous coffee cup in Lebanon (here), IDM comes with this lovely ad merging the wi-fi signal with the design in questio… Read More
2023-11-20 10:30
File this under the usual "I didn't get it" but also under "I want one (or make that two)". To explain the ad, for Chateau Ainata, says "Lebanese and doesn't cause a headache" which immediat… Read More
2023-11-16 06:21
So how does this get me this? (Here). The still above is from an ad that popped up as a I was browsing. It is about how devastating the 2006 war in Lebanon was. In numbers. Interestingl… Read More
2023-11-14 08:15
Well, back to school has been on for quite a bit of time, but well, seems Al Taghziah is late for class. The ad goes "sar wa2t yghayer ta3met temmo" (now is the time for him change his… Read More
2023-11-13 06:16
KFC has got a campaign running, based on the concept of "for sharing" or in Arabic "tastier together" (which implies that not only the meal is shared but that there is a certain mix in the m… Read More
2023-11-12 07:05
Well, yesterday was 11:11 (11th of November) otherwise the "singles day" which originated in China by some university students in reply to February 14th. People are supposed to treat themsel… Read More
2023-11-11 05:49
So lately McDonald's Lebanon, which apparently is celebrating 25 years in the land, has been embroiled in what is happening in Israel-Palestine (here). So not sure about the timing but these… Read More
2023-11-10 11:34
Hey, is Pizza Hut back in force in the Lebanese market? They do have a digital campaign running (pity could not photograph it, it just says "follow the slice" - OK fine, not that great of a… Read More
2023-11-09 08:06
Domo seems to be serious. So serious they are introducing an incalculable number of flavors for their products and letting everyone know about it. Not that the campaign is sexy or anything b… Read More
2023-11-08 11:06
Well Nahnoo is going for the municipalities again (first recorder round on the blog is here). And so here we are again this time they go for "powers proportionate to the burden". All right… Read More
2023-11-07 10:28
Now that is a good news. All Brands, a popular outlet store in Lebanon is teaming up with Caritas in an operation called "All Brands, w enta, w Caritas" (All Brands, and you, and Caritas). T… Read More
2023-11-07 06:57
Ah so "black" Friday/November/whatever else is still going it seems. And so here we are - Sleep Comfort is announcing major sale using that gimmick. I have spoken prior about how we imported… Read More
2023-11-06 06:18
Well, who said "cellphone + just add celebrity" era is over? Moatasem Al Nahar proves it with Blackview. The model in question is A200 Pro but honestly, with Mr. Al Nahar being all over the… Read More
2023-11-05 11:12
I have previously explained why OMT has gone to replace banks for the Lebanese and how it actually came to become their most trusted financial partner (here). Which is why, an ad placed on t… Read More
2023-11-04 05:43
Yes I know the photo is horrible, but sometimes I take photos from odd angles and research the brands back online once at home for better views. Well, seems this one was not posted on the Al… Read More
2023-11-01 13:43
So here we are. How did Instagram know I was in the market for an upscale villa is beyond me. So yes, as a sponsored ad, I got Ohana Villas x Elie Saab Maison (do note, Maison Elie Saab is n… Read More
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