YOUTH STEREOTYPE VS REALITY - #SGBL hits right with #iLive account

OK, so we have a product targeting the young generation, let's shoot a commercial showing a bunch of youngsters enjoying themselves carefree. let's show them exploring different locations, going out dancing, playing sports, and going wild. If not all, most of the brands these days take this direction when communicating with the young generation, but those brands are missing out on a very important point. This is the INTERNET GENERATION. The Internet means free open knowledge and information, just the opposite of the Television that dictated what the viewers receive and somehow programmed them to buy the products advertised. This is a smart generation; at least smarter than the one before in my opinion. 

SGBL bank launched a new campaign targeting the young generation with a bank account tailored to their needs. What's new about this campaign is not the offering, almost every bank offers the same account and benefits, but their approach. They spoke with the youngsters' voice and they described them perfectly. It is true that the youngsters are the ones full of energy, always exploring, and enjoying life, but it's also true that those youngsters are responsible hard workers and as much as they would love to go out and enjoy life, the economy and their financial situation wouldn't allow them to do so. This is the truth. The happy outgoing people we see on TV are only the 1% of the Lebanese population who mostly come from wealthy families, but the 99% who struggle on a daily basis working double shifts to pay off rent or school tuition are the real deal, those are the people who will be interested in a bank account that offers them some privileges and some discounts. 

I hope other banks will take the route SGBL took, and I hope SGBL and the other banks would really do their best to make the life of those kids a bit easier and not only do good ads. 

Great job SGBL! 

 

No fool April's fool

Well, April's fool is a great opportunity for brands to create engaging content for their fans on social media. A lot of brands came up with some great jokes that most of us believed at first, like the new Emirates APR001 with a swimming pool and a tennis court on board. But this content is short-lived and it only creates a buzz on social media. No conversions happen, no leads generated, only creating awareness and brand exposure. but it is smart to use this day to actually promote your product and generate sales like some brands did.
Instead of fooling their customers with some kind of electronic tiles, or touch screen floor, Maison et Parquet Beirut decided to offer a free kitchen on April's fool day for those who actually believed them and didn't just ignore the message knowing its April 1st. The company did actually get over 22 customers coming in and asking about the offer and a lucky winner got herself a new kitchen. the other customers who didn't get the free kitchen got a 50% discount on any kitchen they choose.
Maison et Parquet went the unconventional way and used April's fool day to create real engagement with their fans online and in-store, and actually generated sales out of it. It's true only one lady got the free kitchen, but the other 21 got a 50% discount which means 21 new sales to be completed later on.
Their message builds trust between their brand and their customers especially that it says "At Maison et Parquet we never fool you, you're always a winner" which is nice.  
Check out what they did here.