So, Ramadan's back already.. as hot as HELL ay na3am, bas kollo b sawabo.. Ramadan is the high-season for TV serials (92 series exactly this year) and programs... since TV viewership goes completely off the hook... consequently, with so many people watching TV, its the high season for TV advertising as well..

In this post, I'll take you through the biggest ads of this Ramadan (so far at least)... Although its only been only one day, but some brands have already kicked off with a bang...



1. Etisalat Brand Copy
Although am not a very big fan of the brand nor their commercials, but this one.. seriously... WOW!!
I love the mix of insights (it reducing minutes rate, reminding people of their credit, being the first to put roaming at 1 LE...etc), with the celebrities, colors and music.... its a very pleasant ad... I cant help smiling everytime I see it! :)
Getting Mohammed Mounir was the grandest surprise of all... love him or hate him, the guy's a walking legend with a massive fan base in this country.
Grade: A





2. Mobinil:
For years now, Leo Burnett has always set the standard for bringing the best ads in the country; especially for Ramadan (Remember the Mercedes ad 5 years ago and also last year's musicals...etc).. I believe the Mobinil team in LB has raised the bar so much, but unfortunately they haven't done a great job on this one..
I like Edward, he's funny.. ok ya3ni... But I wouldnt trust his appearance with a brand as big as Mobinil.
And the Alf Leila w Leila theme.... its like the Gazillionth time its being used... khalas b2a, enough!
I watched this for the 4th time just to notice that the proposition is ALL CALLS ARE FREE IN RAMADAN MORNINGS... This is HUGE stuff and could've been built up tremendously... this makes this ad even worse!
Grade: C+


3. Vodafone:
I think its enough with the Marionettes already, maybe its an attempt to copy-cat Vodafone India's Zuzu characters, which were so successful they spread to other VFs around the world.
The Leile Kebeera marionettes are an attempt to add a local flavor to the characters.. Although they may have scored pretty well in the "Shokran Services" campaign, but this is because the target that will use these services is C wenta nazel, but when talking about the corporate image of Voda-freakin-fone, it should be been much "heavier in impact" than that.
Grade: B




4. Coca-Cola:
Its smart to get real people in a "candid camera" sort of situation.. Nice idea, playing well on the smile and their global "Open Happiness" positioning..
Problem is, Although I know its true and that this really happened, I dont think everyone will believe this, it more or less feels like the Ariel commercials zaman (collect 5 empty packs and win... Arieeeeeel Arieeeeeel Oooh Oooh).
Grade: B





5. Fanta Cantaloup - Fantaloup:
A lot of mixed emotions on this one ranging from people who LOVE it, people who HATE it... and people who just don't get it...
Obviously, this will be a series of events/commercials where people need to buy more Fantaloups to save this Mesil7y character from getting fired... Could be brilliant if its tied up with an activation in a Kheima or so, where Mr. Mesil7y would propagate himself and his invention to avoid getting fired.
I personally think this was inspired by the "Save Dave" campaign of Australia last year... Remember the guy who was watching nude pictures on his work PC while his colleague was recording an interview for the news... and his PC monitor with the nude pictures went on live TV.
However, am not sure i can fully judge on this one until the rest of the sequels unfold.
Grade: B- (so far)


6. Pepsi:
Well, I would have loved to write something about the TVC of one of my favorite brands... but guess what.. I cant, because THERE ISN'T ANY!!!
I was really disappointed honestly, not to see a Pepsi ad in the first day of Ramadan, the big 5 (VF, Mobinil, Etisalat, Coke and Pepsi) are a must in Ramadan commercials...
I hope the hiatus doesnt last for long, nor did the Jazeera sponsorship of the World Cup consume all their budget..
Grade: F (just for being late)


Hope u found this useful,
Lets see what the rest of the Ramadan has for us..
Cheers
3omda