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.

Best Gel Ever - Persil featuring Mona Abou Hamze

Now is the Gel era, as the powder detergent time has ended according to Persil's new campaign "Best Gel Ever".
I know a little bit about detergents, especially when I had to do my own laundry when I was living alone. I learned a lot through trial and error, and sought advice from my mom when it got really hard for me. I have ruined some white t-shirts and shrunk some sweaters in the process, until I learned my lesson: white laundry goes on 60 degrees and colored goes on 30 degrees. I also had some struggles with the powder detergents, especially when washing black pieces. I got frustrated the most when I found powder residue on black dress shirts just before leaving for an important meeting. Mom said that I needed to give the laundry load a rinse wash after the main wash was done, but I didn't find it neither practical nor eco-friendly, wasting so much time, water and electricity. I discovered Pesil Gel at the supermarket as everyone else did. At first, I thought it was a fabric softener from Persil, but reading the label I learned more about it and decided to give it a try. It worked perfectly :) No white residue on my black dress shirts, a very fresh smell, and the best part was saving time and energy. I told my mom about the Gel and how effective it was, but she was hesitant to change. Well, how would her son know about laundry and she has been doing laundry for years? I figured I would leave it to time - she will change her mind eventually. This was almost a year ago.
So I went to see her and my dad over the weekend and we were watching TV at night. Persil's new TVC pops up and she was like "Yekhreb Bayta  Mona shou 7elyene, Shaklo mni7 hal gel, ra7 jarrbo". So I looked at her and couldn't hold it in: I TOLD YOU!!
Check out the TVC here.

The TVC is accompanied by a short bumper where we see the powder falling inside an hourglass resembling the end and introducing the new Gel formula. check it here

TVC credits:
Agency: LCG DDB
Client: Henkel Lebanon
Celebrity: Mona abou Hamze
Production house: Caustik studios

Better late than never - CONNECT and TBWA/Raad hit on the right cord

The Internet is so essential these days it can build nations and keep some behind. Lebanon is one of those nations suffering from the slow internet, and this purely because of corruption. we have our fiber optics infrastructure ready and all it needs is just a simple decision, but our reputable politicians would rather keep us in the dark. we have heard some news recently that the internet will get better soon, but we learned the hard way to only believe when we see. 

One of Lebanon's internet service providers "Connect" just launched a new campaign communicating their fast internet connection. I can't really judge their internet speed because I'm not a customer, but what I can say is that their advertising campaign in collaboration with TBWA/Raad is Fiber Optic good.

News spread really fast with the help of social media, especially when something goes viral such as the ALS Ice bucket challenge and the Harlem shake, two viral concepts that invaded the world. but what happens when you get the news after 2 years because of your slow internet? 

The exaggeration used in both TVCs launched is very expressive and delivers the message humorously.

The first TVC shows a couple of villagers who just got their nomination for the Ice bucket challenge doing it outdoors in the snowy cold weather. Spontaneous acting and authentic dialect made this TVC a total win. You can really sense the realness of this TVC because we all have seen our parents and grandparents learn and interact with social media for the first time. check the first TVC here.

The second TVC was just adorable with old fishermen on the shore doing the Harlem shake with their fishnets and tools. check it here. 

Both TVCs end with "Don't be the last to get it, Connect faster wherever you are".

I really loved the TVCs as they both had the Lebanese flavor and spirit to them. I can tell who's behind those ads from a 100 mile away as I had the pleasure to work with him on some projects @Walidykanaan, and you can immediatly identify his great touch. 

Great job CONNET and TBWA/Raad.