tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53200404907508439672024-02-08T03:52:51.293+02:00The 3omdaz digest3omdazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13045877177885294623noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5320040490750843967.post-63209338044489345162021-04-17T11:40:00.000+02:002021-04-17T11:40:45.129+02:00The 10 year anniversary special - Whatever Happened to the Egyptians-advertising<p>Hello friends,</p><p>Been a while since I've written here.. but realized that this gig has been running for over 10 years now.<br />10 years of writing this blog, wow.. Came a very long way since, personally and professionally.. </p><p>Lot of great work done, even more flops sustained, long hours between meeting rooms and shooting sets, stage-time, festivals and award shows, talks & panel discussions, travelling around the region, glory of awards and slump of failure... But always, always great fun and wonderful friends made.</p><p>But it is not only I that have evolved, this industry too.. This beautiful industry that we love and hate.<br />Cant live with it, cant live without it.</p><p>I spent some time going over posts of previous years, seeing how the industry has evolved in the past decade... While skimming, I have realized one painful fact; we're actually moving backwards, not ahead.</p><p>This is not a typical blog post showcasing the different ads of Ramadan season.<br />This is a thorough look into the business and what went right, and most importantly, what went wrong and how we can rectify it... <br />Thus the title of today's article, inspired by the great chronicle of the late Dr Galal Amin.</p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiECbgB5boQOaagra4lIUN9JaEclNF0ilvCk2NrD9E3eTWrVQZjoAcABK20lKwrBYsKbfzJ92QsCNSYTUos-OGzrrTv-atnYGUt5kK-BPsLFtg5vtWcTJ38Nlin_5anqLJDY2QZfD7zmRyp/s689/whatever.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiECbgB5boQOaagra4lIUN9JaEclNF0ilvCk2NrD9E3eTWrVQZjoAcABK20lKwrBYsKbfzJ92QsCNSYTUos-OGzrrTv-atnYGUt5kK-BPsLFtg5vtWcTJ38Nlin_5anqLJDY2QZfD7zmRyp/s320/whatever.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>Lets flash back 10 years ago, how the scene was set; to refresh the memories of those who've been around since, and to introduce it to those who joined us mid-decade.</p><p>Its 2011, just fresh out of Jan-25 revolution, Ekhwan hadn't taken over yet, and Bassem Youssef was still doing cardiac-surgery.<br />Egyptians had just realized the importance of social media, mainly Facebook and Twitter; after using them to orchestrate the logistics of Jan 25.<br />Instagram wasn't even a thing (well technically, it was 6 months old, but hadn't reached us yet). We were living the pre-influencer era (still in the BBM era before Whatsapp actually).<br />You could count private TV stations on one-hand and the pinnacle of digital advertising was banner advertising on Yallakora or Masrawy... and putting your ad on FB/YT was a nice luxury, after adequately airing it on TV.</p><p>Oh and one more thing, we were the Kings (and Queens) of TV advertising.<br /></p><p>So what happened since, why do we now feel that advertising doesn't necessarily live-up to what we want it to be..</p><p>I've been reading quite some mixed reviews from an array of people from the different walks of life (inside the business and out).. Put together some thoughts in the below narrative. Also tried to dissect them into different categories to make them more relevant and easier to follow.</p><p><b>The Audience</b></p><p>This is really why we do what we do actually.. The people, the recipient, the "fans"..<br />The ones we feed our egos with their feedback, are actually the ones who also whip us when the product isn't at par with expectations.. <br />Audiences now are more aware, more exposed and far more critical and far less impressed than they were before.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3bKj6GBEnG3mXtI7Ld6mjuLHxHtSvXPpP2mol-FjpPu69wd5pjDJLRjR810R_xS7jUep6_31Im6aX5RUB4ea9xt3FsyqjhT17zZo0xHAUSODMMGLLFcwn75foFDTDf8F5JqToTUwPi9_k/s356/not-impressed.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="356" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3bKj6GBEnG3mXtI7Ld6mjuLHxHtSvXPpP2mol-FjpPu69wd5pjDJLRjR810R_xS7jUep6_31Im6aX5RUB4ea9xt3FsyqjhT17zZo0xHAUSODMMGLLFcwn75foFDTDf8F5JqToTUwPi9_k/s320/not-impressed.gif" /></a></div><p>This is irrespective of the audience being customers or consumers to this very product or not, they still get to see the ad; since we're still applying mass-media targeting; had we been doing the right media targeting techniques of showing ads to only their respective target audiences, we wouldn't be having this discussion.</p><p>By nature of a more <b>exposed</b> generation of audience, they are internet bred, seeing everything from anywhere on VODs, Podcasts, Review communities, Vlogs...etc... 12 year olds now watch Korean documentaries for God's sake.<br />Thus, the kind of inspiration that artists/creatives relied on are now more vulnerable..</p><p>We all get inspired, well all get references and even "steal with pride" sometimes.. We are just now more bust-able. As its now easier than ever before to know where a similar idea, visual reference, piece of music or even a whole ad was taken from somewhere else.. we've seen many instances over the years of a certain brand being attacked for "stealing" an ad or a shot...etc</p><p>Also audiences are becoming more <b>aware</b>; they understand (to an extent) what marketing or advertising should convey, and thus become very frustrated when it doesn't deliver.. Not just aware of their marketing, they are more aware of their rights and beliefs; thus ads now are more susceptible to be offensive to one group or the other, an offense that would often fire back in the face of the product, agency or the company at a large.</p><p>In the Instagram and Tiktok age, when every average Jo or Jane think they are a celebrity in their own realm; people feel generally more <b>entitled</b>.. Entitled to everything; a better life, cooler friends, bigger fanbase and better advertising.. they feel deserve better, they call out brands.. How many times did you see someone on your friends list shout out "I need someone from XYZ company to call me immediately". A company, an institution, to call ME, because I have an opinion, and I want it heard.<br />That says a lot actually, we are indeed in time where consumer is king.. technically they've always been, but now they have a voice, and a loud one.</p><p>The combination of the above makes everyone a critic (yes, ana awwelhom) and the advertisers job to impress audience is now at an all time high.. a challenge that is often met, but more often not.<br /></p><p><b>Brand relevance/role</b></p><p>How relevant is the idea to the brand, does the brand fit the script or the big idea? Does it have a role to play?</p><p>Most of the ads on the current scene are not brand-specific.. or not ownable by one brand over the other. You can easily remove Brand X to put Brand Y and you wouldn't feel the difference. (do it in ur head now, it'll easily fit).</p><p>That is in part due to current advertising either doing sporadic digital copies that "should go viral" or tactical copies for quick commercial wins.. little are the brands now that spend behind building brand equity to own a certain territory or platform; thus are totally replaceable.</p><p><b>Brand promise vs performance vs production value</b></p><p>مش كان أولى تاخدوا الفلوس دي تحسنوا بيها المنتج؟</p><p>You would very widely hear this comment amongst people from outside the industry. </p><p>Advertising spend is usually a percentage of the company's revenue (how much exactly depends on brand maturity, category competitiveness, business objective, production value...etc)</p><p>Advertising in general is about exaggerating the product benefit, blowing the brand role out of proportion and amplifying its heroism; in whatever way (comedy, musical, drama...etc). <br />However when a brand is already underdelivering on its core promise/benefit and widely criticized for it, a generic branding campaign would easily fire-back; causing more heat on the brand and instigating people to think that it could've been possibly better to spend all the advertising money on enhancing the product/service.</p><p><b>Bad briefs and briefing process</b></p><p>An ad is only as good as the brief is.. That is where it all starts, a client says exactly what they are looking to achieve through the campaign, business objective, brand KPI and even revenue target.<br />But put the best agency on a bad brief, it'll still turn out mediocre.</p><p>The briefing process (especially for a big campaign) was once one of the most decorated and crucial meetings of the year.<br />We (at the agency) would get a massive, well thought, well crafted document and digest it for some days before meeting the client in a long Q&A session (with Directors, VPs and even MDs/CEOs in presence sometimes) to discuss and probe, to make sure we understand all the nitty-gritties, so that our suggested idea would be relevant and insightful. </p><p>From what I'm seeing over the past years (and a good observation from a good friend of mine, a comms veteran in the region), with the increasing business pressures (post devaluation, COVID hit...etc), the senior members of marketing teams are under immense pressure to make ends meet and achieve business targets and market share, communication tasks are often delegated to more junior/younger members of the team who might not always have the experience to write a strong brief, that would generate a strong idea.</p><p>Add to that a declining work-ethic, and cutting-off zoom meetings; briefing sessions have unfortunately went from full-day workshops to an email to even sometimes a Whatsapp message. A sad but true fact that would make the agency understand the brief less, thus come back with an idea that is not fully reflective of the business or communication objective, then a worse ad.</p><p>When was the last time you've written or read a good brief?............??........ thank you :)</p><p><b>Copy duration</b></p><p>The notion of digital airing has went from a blessing to a curse.. Instead of trying to put your brand elevator pitch in 30-45 seconds, you can take your ample time in a short movie of 4-6 minutes... but then the question is, do you really need to?</p><p>Longer copies are indeed a great tool for storytelling, when you actually have a very long story to tell,. We've seen it and had our jaws dropped in some instances (<a href="https://youtu.be/lSggaxXUS8k" target="_blank">Nike's Write the future</a> for example, another classic that is 10 year old now).. <br />But the fact that now every other ad is more than 2-3 minutes long is becoming redundant, time-consuming and boring.. its like these long meetings that could have been a 2 liner email.. <br />mat2ool 3ayez eh ya 3am el 7agg w tkhallasna.</p><p>While this is quite rewarding from an agency/production/media perspective (longer shooting days, bigger production budgets, higher markups and more expensive TV spot rates), but it actually harms both the brand and the consumer when the ad is overstretched, if you can say it in 30 seconds, do it. Hello? the whole world now is talking about 6 second ads for digital airing (YT pre-rolls and FB interstitials) and we're actually using it the other way.</p><div>Moreover, it is completely inefficient (for a bad or even normal copy) because unlike shorter copies, you don't want to see a 4 minute ad multiple times, thus are more prone to skip cz u want to get to the content you actually want to see, you actually came to digital because you don't want long ad breaks. Its an oxymoron really. </div><div><br /></div><div>From a pure performance perspective, if you would look at completion rates for digital viewership in longer copies, I am positive that maximum 2% actually finish the whole ad (after the first time they've seen it).. and when your ad is written in a way where the brand role doesn't appear except in the last 10 seconds of the 4 minutes, you are literally throwing your brand money down the toilet.. <br />and hey, don't let the view count fool you, its all paid for anyway.</div><p><b>Celebrity endorsement</b></p><p>I think everyone has spoken about it already, no point of stating the obvious.. the novelty factor of having celebrities in a star-studded copy is obsolete. The wow-effect is long gone, people expect it and are actually bored of it.. </p><p>Let alone having celebrities that don't represent the brand, don't hold the brand value and have done ads for direct competition just 1-2 seasons ago.</p><p>I actually remember writing a whole section about it 3-4 years ago in an article <a href="http://3omdaz.blogspot.com/2018/05/" target="_blank">here</a>.. No need to rewrite it because the same comments still stand (actually, the whole article still stands coming to think about it, we've been proudly making the same mistakes for the past 4-5 years anyway).<br /></p><p>Pulling a celebrity out of retirement/oblivion is a fairly risky strategy, yet the comeback should be strong enough to hold its own ground and not rely on people to live in nostalgia. <br />Nostalgia as it is, isn't a platform to ride on for years, its a short-lived feel-good euphoria, but if the idea doesn't hold itself, people will skip it for sure.. <br />Let alone missing out on a new group of millennials who might not know the celebrity to start with; thus deeming this very expensive celebrity and commercial totally irrelevant.<br /></p><p><b>Musicals</b></p><p>Jingles have been part of advertising for as far as we remember, but it has been really redundant and boring to see song after song after song... ad breaks are becoming a long, loud, non-harmonic medley.</p><p>Songs are great, and we love them. <br />But there are other selling techniques that would still deliver the message and drive brand recognition. <br /><br />There are some really nice jingles this year, but twice as much horrible ones..<br />I really wish we can downplay that card and start experimenting differently; herd following does fire back afterall... and again, not all celebrities can sing for God's sake</p><p><b>Copywriting humor</b></p><p>Creating ad concepts is a process, a very thorough one. <br />Brand promise, role, consumer cycle, focus group, consumer insight, comms funnel, concept testing, copy testing.....etc.<br /></p><p>A thorough process to help you understand the brand, the consumer, the fit and whether this idea would work or not. Yet with the increasing financial pressure, quick turnaround times, category competitiveness and putting awards before brand make people skip the process sometimes, well most of the time actually.</p><p>A lot of the advertising business now relies on someone in the creative team cracking a funny joke or line to be the "catchphrase" of ad, the hit of Ramadan; regardless of how this fits with the brand role or strategy.<br />I have numerously sat in campaign submission sessions with brilliant creatives to present an idea; just because it is funny and made a couple of people in the office laugh.. Not because it is smart, not because it helps build the brand, only because its funny.</p><p>Wittiness as obviously a sharp tool to use, but if utilized properly.. otherwise, it would turn the ad and brand to a joke, literally.. <br />We're in the business of building brands, not telling jokes.. If it's cracking jokes you're good at, do standup comedy, its also good business.</p><p><b>Creatives-turned-Directors</b></p><p>A common trend that has been on the rise for some years now, senior creative directors in big agencies turning commercials directors or doing their own gig.<br />While this is an awesome addition to the creative process, and really brings in a lot of weight to the preparation discussions and a stronger final creative product; however it is indeed a double-edged sword.</p><p>When senior creatives leave the agency side without a strong number 2 warming the bench, younger creatives don't have much guidance or anyone to look up to and learn from. So they start improvising and shaping what is right (in their view) to the brand, which might not be necessarily correct.. Could work for a small tactical burst, but usually out of line of brand strategy and equity building.<br />Mirror that with laughing at their own jokes (copywriting point above) and responding to a weak brief by junior marketing staff (refer to a couple of points earlier); Et voila; you have just prepared your own creative nuclear bomb... everyone loses.<br /></p><p>Funny enough, while Egypt is a 100+ million people, the market is quite tiny when it comes to the comms business; 4-5 big multinational networks, 2-3 strong local conglomorates and a couple of small fresh boutique startups (be it creative, digital or content agencies)... So grosso-modo, all what you see on TV, radio, billboards and Youtube is the work of some 150 people playing musical chairs in different agencies.<br />Creatives this senior in another market would easily be assuming board positions on regional/global agency seats.. But since senior opportunities are limited locally, agency veterans (who don't want to leave Egypt for their careers), have a couple of limited options; either stay in the agency and hit their heads to the ceiling every day, start their own agency or turn directors.</p><p>While this is a possible path for senior creatives, ones who have been around for years; it is becoming an immediate ambition for junior creatives who want to jump ship right away (rightfully so, for double or triple the money).<br />And it won't stop there, in a couple of years we'll see junior creatives who have not had good mentorship growing up, leaving the agency prematurely to start their directing career (with little to no experience as creative, or director for that matter), brace for impact my friends.</p><p><b>Conclusion</b></p><p>All respect and all love to everyone in their respective roles doing their job, spending long hours and sleepless nights in offices, production trucks, shooting locations and editing studios...etc.<br />However, this just an attempt, a wake-up call I hope, a checklist of what - I personally see - could possibly be done to rectify the course of what was once a top performing market, regionally and globally.. <br />So that we wouldn't find ourselves here again next year, analyzing ads of a 5-minute song with celebrities, influencers and a totally replaceable brand that no one remembers. </p><p>Hope you enjoyed reading this, I know I enjoyed writing it..<br />and sorry if its too long.</p><p>Till next time<br />3omda</p>3omdazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13045877177885294623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5320040490750843967.post-81648134478283602862018-05-20T10:45:00.000+02:002018-05-20T10:59:56.186+02:00Ramadan 2018 - Post 1 - The good, the bad and the really ugly..<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Hello
hello old friends,</span></div>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">After
a small poll I’ve done, decided to ditch video and go back to written blogs,
it’s “my thing” apparently.<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Kol
sana wento tayyebeen,<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">So
we live to see another Ramadan, with apparently a new set of ads (or are they
the same?)<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">SPOILER ALERT:<span style="font-weight: normal;">
This is not a very happy blog post, if you are a client, creative or executive
in agency waiting for “mabrook, el e3lan kassar el dnia ya m3allem” or to forward
the article to your peers at work.. you wont find that here, not this time at
least.. <o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">If
you are in for some constructive criticism, please read on.<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sitting
in 4<sup>th</sup> day of Ramadan, we haven’t seen a massive flow of ads yet..
just the big telco’s, a teaser from Pepsi and some random copies here and
there.<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Overall
honestly, I feel the creative output of the Egyptian ad industry is becoming
more frail year after year... We have generally been known to be the strongest creative
hub in the region, but with such outputs, I unfortunately feel we’ll be taking
a back seat very soon and lose leadership in one of the very few industries
we’re still ahead at.<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">If
everyone wants to play it safe and keep doing what has already worked on the
premise that “if its not broken, why fix it” aw </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-EG" style="font-weight: normal;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>"إللي تغلب به, إلعب به"</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> y2ba 3aleih el
3awad.<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">I’ll
be mainly talking about Telecom ads in this post, cz its too long to include
anything else.. Honestly speaking, they all feel the same to me.. take out one
logo and put the other and u won’t feel a hint of a difference, they’re all
saying the same thing without a fraction of brand character infused in the copy..
<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Overall
the star-studded song concept feels too bland after </span><u>EIGHT YEARS</u><span style="font-weight: normal;"> of
running the same idea, since Etisalat started this wave with their <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIDYdFKre3c" target="_blank">“2alo Magnoon”</a> copy in
2010.. To put it in perspective, 8 years ago we were still kings of African
Football (Captain Hassan Shehata’s crew), Hosny Mubarak was still president and
Instagram was still an idea in Kevin Systrom’s sketchbook (the pre-influencer
era, fakreeno? haa7!!)<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">That’s
nearly a decade ago, a decade where we see the same ad with a different cast
and lyrics.. come on!<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
Every year since then we have seen the same concept replicated one way or the
other, get the hottest celebrities on the scene that year, put them all in a
2-3 minute song and ur set for the season.. Setting aside any regard for endorsement
value, ROI, brand role, message association or even distinction from competition..
Just something to win over the crowds w khalas..<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">But
seriously, 8 years later, I think it’s a shame for our creatives not to be able
to come up with something different, OR to put their foot down and tell their clients
“Sorry, we will not do another celebrity song”.<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Why
Etisalat was so successful in 2010 was because the novelty factor was there,
concept was fresh, you were eager to see what they have to say and the
happiness that came with it.. <o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">bas
el kofta di is becoming too repetitive and tasteless.<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">A
very harsh introduction to a more lenient deep-dive, I hope. Don’t get me
wrong, the ads are not bad (not all of them, at least), and I actually enjoy
them, but I’m just addressing the fact that life has to go on beyond Oprette el
7elm el 3arabi that we see every year.<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">If
people see it coming already, you have less chances of scoring with them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span dir="LTR"></span>Orange – <span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA">جاري
يا جاري</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xnzGeWTBYtQ" width="560"></iframe><o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">The
closest to my heart, the one with the strongest insight; that while your
neighbors are literally the closest people to you, yet you feel very distant to
them.. So take Ramadan as a good chance to reconnect and get close to them..
Mixing the most prominent neighbor types (the noisy, the nosy, the grumpy, the
silo-ed and the trouble maker) along with a personal favorite of mine; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRQ0q9QbSHQ" target="_blank">Hani Shenouda’s score forShams El Zanaty’s OST</a> makes the ad an instant fan favorite (gotta give
credit to my good friend Hisham Kharma for seeing the gem in this track and
remixing it twice; a techno remix in 1998 and a tribal <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_4HpqeVx28" target="_blank">chillout version in 2017</a>).<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Maybe
this feels a bit off Mobinil/Orange’s Ramadan look and feel of the past couple
of years, we’ve seen them do their version of songs with an Egyptian taste,
real people, real cast; real stories be it with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtwrjM1NJQM" target="_blank">Dayman Ma3 ba3d</a> in 2012,
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBP5K1Qq7VE" target="_blank">Fa3el Khier</a> in 2015, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8u4EoaBT4uY" target="_blank">Mel madfa3 lel madfa3 in2016</a> and so on.. but with changes in communication management heads between
telco’s, its normal to see a different flavor to what was originally a
consistent brand tone.<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span dir="LTR"></span>Vodafone – <span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA">نجوم
رمضان السنة دي</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CAUMGAcGLGU" width="560"></iframe><o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">The
buildup there was quite nice, when they released pre-Ramadan copies for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSgeNrIidMU" target="_blank">Saad Samir</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFs4nKz11XA" target="_blank">Ahmed Hegazy</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfDC6s21QyY" target="_blank">Ahmed Fathy</a>, then
followed up with the full song showing us how the story builds up.<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">The
link is nice, and the connection between teaser and revealer copies is quite
neat honestly. But I’m not sure how are football players Ramadan’s stars if the
World Cup starts on the first day of Eid, so why would I see them as Ramadan
stars? They should be training in Ramadan.. lol<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">A
bit of a distant link for me, but I won’t be too anal about it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">But
as far as I’m concerned, it’s the same ad of the last 3 years, with just new
faces, refresh your memory with below<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="AR-SA" style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qcQKlyA_ag" target="_blank">ڤودافون، قوتك فى عيلتك رمضان 2015 –</a></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="AR-SA" style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtGnenSS9_o" target="_blank"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>ڤودافون – العيلة الكبيرة رمضان 2016</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="EN-US"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> -</span></a> </span><o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span lang="AR-SA"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JThScxPjwDY" target="_blank">فرحتك قوة#فرحة_أول_مرة – 2017 -</a></span><span lang="AR-SA"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span dir="LTR"></span>Etisalat
– <span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA">احنا مش بنهزر</span><o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ys43C6RH98o" width="560"></iframe><o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Wallahi
shakloko bet-hazzaro bel e3lan da..<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">The
only thing that I see consistent in it is el mobalgha.. overdone in every way..
Random Ramadan stars overdoing everything in an overdone copy.. although Sherine
Reda of course soft-spot gamed.. still doesn’t justify, I don’t like the ad
nevertheless..<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Also
I am </span>really,
REALLY<span style="font-weight: normal;"> bothered by the fact that Mohamed Ramadan is being over
glorified in every appearance, be it a movie, series or ad.. The guy is
talented, gotta give him that, but he’s not God, because apparently that’s the
direction we’re heading; being last in line-up of the ad, King Tut’s casket,
the music crescendo, the lyrics.. la2 mesh Michael Jackson tale3 fel e3lan
ya3ni.. <o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">In
case you haven’t noticed, he referred to himself as possessing “</span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-EG" style="font-weight: normal;">شعبية إلهية</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>” in the <a href="https://youtu.be/9PyCiYl3KCk?t=47s" target="_blank">last copy</a><o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Also,
what the f*** is wrong with Samira Said’s voice.. I was listening to it in the
car and I thought it was a Minion sound effect.. howa fi eh?<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span dir="LTR"></span>WE
– Mobile Internet<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tQBR2wMnVZ8" width="560"></iframe><o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Remember
when I said not all ads are bad, this is the bad one.<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">I
honestly have expected much more of them on their launch year, but looking at
what they’ve done with their logo design for starters, then the Montakhab
Airplane design (let alone the Salah fiasco), this is not too surprising to me
now..<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Anyway,
let’s not grill them much, with the competition they’re up against, the ad will
probably die out very soon.. And that is when competition is really bad this
year, let’s hope they learn the lesson by the time competition get back in
shape.<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Brand
specifics aside, and along from the repetitive song concept which I’m sure I made
very clear, there are some other factors that I see are <o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Copy duration<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Kheir
ya gama3a.. shwaya shwaya you’ll stop competing in Lynx and Effies and go head
to head in short movie festivals..<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Copy
durations are becoming TOO long.. 2 and 3 and 5 minutes are NOT OK.. <o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">What
kind of story are you trying to tell anyway.<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">I don’t
believe this is the biggest bang for your buck, in a country where there’s <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">a.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> N</span></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;">o TV rating system (in case you didnt know, TV ratings in
Egypt have been suspended since May 2017).. Agencies have been sadly relying on
Twitter to know the good programs; Twitter, a platform of around 2 million
users in a country of 100+ million.. So you really don’t know if your ad if
being viewed or not, just qualitative assurances.. and dont fool yourselves with trending reports and view counts on Youtube, you know its all paid, so its a show of who has more digital budgets, nothing else.<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">b.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;">An economic crash after floatation<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">c.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;">A generation of viewers who are not on TV in the first place,
paying money for programs, platforms and bypasses to watch content without the interruption
of your commercial messages, and if they sadly sit through it, either they skip
it, watch the first 3-5 seconds of it or they watch it with sound off.<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Copies
should be crisp, to the point yet entertaining to the audience you’re
addressing.. <o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Over
the past year, I’ve been in sessions with Google, Facebook and the likes
talking about 6 second ads... and we’re serving 120 second++??<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Literally
money down the drain.. I’m sure there’s a lot more you can do with these
production, celebrity royalties and airing budgets… a LOT more.<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Choice of celebrities<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">When
we were studying celebrity endorsement in marketing and advertising books, by
definition the celebrity should<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">a.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;">Be unique in some aspect of his persona (look, character,
attitude…something).. Johnny Depp with Dior Sauvage masalan.. perfect fit.<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">b.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-weight: normal;">Have something in common with the brand<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">c.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;">Add to the brand<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">d.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-weight: normal;">Most importantly he should not have done any advertising
work with competition.. preferably no advertising at all kaman, then people
would remember him for your brand only.<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Look
at the George Clooney-Nespresso partnership.. George Clooney has been doing Nespresso
ads since 2006, so for 12 years he’s been consistently hammering on the
Nespresso offering, taking it from a brand no one knew to a household name with
a machine in most of their target audience’s homes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">He
even took it a step further, George Clooney also serves as a member of the
Nespresso Sustainability Advisory Board, collaborating on ideas and solutions
towards improving the lives and futures of coffee farmers (check full story <a href="https://www.nestle-nespresso.com/newsandfeatures/george-clooney-becomes-nespresso-global-brand-ambassador-by-extending-his-relationship-with-the-brand-in-north-america" target="_blank">here</a>).
<br />
So he literally became part of the company, because their agendas are so in
line that he can confidently represent the company as part of his belief system
and encourage people to buy its products because he trusts it so much.<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Taking
it closer to home, when Adel Imam introduced Vodafone’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=st5okICNVHU" target="_blank">“Power To you”</a> concept in
a 1 month stint that ended with the Jan 25 revolution (which I think was their
strongest corporate copy to date), that was f***ing powerful, the biggest
Middle Eastern star with the biggest Telco in the region, the marriage made
sense…<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Neboss
b2a 3al konafa bel renga that we have here.. just topline examples, I’m sure
there will be more if we dig deeper.<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">- Donia Samir Ghanem
and Hend Sabry both being featured on Etisalat’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIDYdFKre3c" target="_blank">“2alo Magnoon”</a> copy,
then again in this year’s Orange copy.. </span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">- Hossam Ghali did a
couple for Vodafone himself as part of Al Ahly (since VF is lead sponsor), then
appeared solo in Orange.</span></span></h1>
<div>
<span style="font-weight: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<h1 style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">- Zafer Abdin in Orange
this year.. already was in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrWGD8xlHy4" target="_blank">OrangeEagle</a> just a couple of months ago and previously playing the exact same
character in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB3UiSKgVOc" target="_blank">Vodafone Him/Her</a>
a couple of years ago (the suit, the watch, the boat, the girl.. the whole
shebang really, just with a different brand)…</span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;">- El King b2a qessa
tania.. Mohamed Mounir, didn’t feature in one, but TWO competitor ads, he did <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIDYdFKre3c" target="_blank">“2alo Magnoon”</a> also (which
was massive because he never did ads before that, novelty factor again).. Bas
el zaher el le3ba 3agabeto, cz Vodafone did a<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7skeg9uyYAs" target="_blank"> yearlong campaign with him</a>
before he featured on Orange’s ad this Ramadan… eh ya gama3a.. el brand maloosh
ahl yes2alo 3aleih?</span><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-weight: normal;">
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]-->
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">And I
honestly don’t think its any of the celebrity’s faults.. at the end of the day
its business for them.. if brand X comes and offers me money for representing
their brand while knowing that I’ve already worked for brands Y and Z, then why
would I care about your brand, if you apparently don’t.</span></span></h1>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So I think we should trying thinking harder about who would be a good fit to your brand and message rather than recycling celebrities who have been overused time and time again.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Also
one last thing… not everyone can sing guys, Nelly Karim was a pain to listen to..<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Lack of brand role<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">None of the
songs (I wouldn’t say ads, because they aren’t) have a clear brand role defined
in the copies.. With the exception of Vodafone that maybe linked it adequately
by saying that “Elli gay aqwa” reference to the World Cup, which takes me back
to the point that it isn’t Ramadan relevant.. lol<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">But
generally speaking the copies should serve as a strong linkage between brand
role, celebrity and ad format.. So if the ad format is already </span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-EG" style="line-height: 107%;">مهري</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> to its core, celebrity usage is as illustrated
above.. a natural result would be a lost brand in the middle.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At the end, really sorry about the long article, sorry about the harsh critique,
but even more sorry for the state we’ve reached... I’ve been a proud member for
this industry for the past 10+ years (with no interest in scrutinizing these
ads, I have no competing brands on the scene) and I would hate see it heading
to a position where we are just recycling ads.. we are better than that, YOU
are better than that.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hope it’s a wake-up call to all my friends and colleagues in this
realm.. </span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Not to belittle all the hard work put into these copies, I know how many sleepless nights between briefing, ideation, approvals, production and post it took.. but i feel it would be much better utilized over an original idea/concept.<br />
Let’s reclaim our glory in this industry, we really do kick ass work.. let’s
show it!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Till we meet next time, promise it won’t be that long.</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hope you found it useful,<br />
Cheerio<br />
3omdaz<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br /></div>
3omdazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13045877177885294623noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5320040490750843967.post-9681556950627921062016-12-20T14:03:00.002+02:002016-12-20T14:03:40.733+02:00VodaCoke..Red vanguards inspire<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hello friends,<br />
<br />
It's been a while since I've written here.. in a blog format at least..<br />
Due to a lot of reasons:<br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Mashaghel el dnia, work and the usual rat-race</li>
<li>The current happenings around us weren't too suitable for an ad-critique.. falls to the bottom of the priority list in such circumstances.</li>
<li>While there were numerous pieces of work in 2016, good pieces of work that sell a product or a brand.. There were little that inspired people.</li>
</ul>
<div>
That was until yesterday.. when (by coincidence) two of the biggest advertisers in the country released 2 beautiful pieces of work to charm us, intrigue us and most importantly inspire us to be a better version of ourselves.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Vodafone:</b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KD1-CTce4e8" width="560"></iframe></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Evolution is a trait of life, we all evolve everyday.. </div>
<div>
Our minds, bodies and talents evolve.. till we reach a peak, the pinnacle of our accomplishments.. before we pass on the torch to a new generation, to pass the learnings and have them build on the foundations we've laid.. this is how humanity works, each one continues on what their predecessors have started.</div>
<div>
Vodafone touched upon it beautifully with a spot that touches the hearts of many, playing on sports, art and dance, in an attempt to gather as much interested audiences as possible.</div>
<div>
While the idea is not totally fresh, the craftmanship of the copy is beautiful.. and the space that online viewing provides (vs TV), gives more space for longer ads to tell more beautiful stories.</div>
<div>
The choice of cast is very smart too, celebrities that people aspire to, consider to be their pride and joy in a time when there are little idols to look up to.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I think the only flaw of the ad is the release date, a time where people are already not too happy with the quality of their 4G connections, even at test phase.. </div>
<div>
I personally was very cynical about it when I shared the ad after seeing it.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Qo2wkoO23Ga9YX8NcXuR6Ihc4NpPgizeNJ42KOTvtDCIAkUeLtoMe-oYwyAxEjmcC29U2I2ExZ1bW14bwU8MmxrjJOmJpX8WWO3cYPOwFW4k6tabt1Nc3aCHK5GWVNVjWMK_R852lzy2/s1600/VF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="72" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Qo2wkoO23Ga9YX8NcXuR6Ihc4NpPgizeNJ42KOTvtDCIAkUeLtoMe-oYwyAxEjmcC29U2I2ExZ1bW14bwU8MmxrjJOmJpX8WWO3cYPOwFW4k6tabt1Nc3aCHK5GWVNVjWMK_R852lzy2/s320/VF.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Maybe they should have waited till the service is 100% up and running, for people to experience the strength of a 4G connection to feel the evolution highlighted in the ad... and to dodge a couple of sour comments...</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
*NB: Vodafone being Vodafone, can afford pretty much anything and anyone, no-brainer.. We've seen that time and time again.. they even signed THE ONLY non commercial celebrity in their <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=st5okICNVHU" target="_blank">beautiful 2011 spot with Adel Emam</a>.</div>
<div>
Makes me question the stopping power of any VF ad... is it always about who VF paid to come feature in their ad? or will we see a VF ad that is more reliant on the idea than the mouthpiece?</div>
<div>
Not to belittle the impact a celebrity has on pushing a commercial message, but I believe an idea should live at the core of creative message, not the celebrity.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Food for thought :)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Coca-Cola:</b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kRNZrUGmba4" width="560"></iframe></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Coke has always been a driving force in this market, as well as globally.. Time and time again they have proven their innovative approach to marketing in general and their campaigns in specific.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Over the past years, they have cemented themselves as راعي المشجع المصري.. a non-existent space they've carved for themselves and pushed away any other brand that would dare assume the same (including their big blue rival).. No one owns Egyptian football like Coke.. no one.<br /></div>
<div>
This time wasn't any different, similar to VF they have used a star-studded spot but solely focused on football.. Mido, Medhat Shalaby, Hazem Emam, Zizo, Karim Shehata...etc.. Difference here is, the IDEA is the hero of this ad, not the celebrity.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We all love Egypt, whether you want to admit it or not.. with all the shit we're going through, we still love it and believe in its people and potential.. else we wouldnt be still here, or all stand in solidarity whenever we're hit by crisis, or shed a tear when moved by a patriotic song... Deep down inside, this country lives in us.</div>
<div>
And that's what Coke played on, let me hypothetically jump in their brainstorming meeting room there and reenact the discussion:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>"if we cant talk politics, why don't we use football to remind people of how much they love their country"</i></div>
<div>
<i>If we can't use a flag as a country mnemonic, use the football jersey.. </i></div>
<div>
<i>But not everyone has a football jersey, right? Well why dont we just give it to them.. </i></div>
<div>
<i>Will cost us a lot? who cares, for the coming years anyone who will see Egypt's football jersey will remember Coke... Its cheaper than a TV campaign for sure.</i></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
While looking fairly simple, I'm sure there's a logistical nightmare behind it.. when to exchange, how to exchange, what will happen to the old jersey.. a lot of questions that make the execution hell-like for the marketing team and their agencies.. but i'm sure it will be well worth it.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The conclusion of both campaigns is that in times like these, recession, devaluation, social depression and terrorist attacks.. The mass morale levels have hit the floor, people are looking for inspiration anywhere around them.. anyone that says anything positive will get superhero support.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"Never waste a crisis" is a very wise saying that can apply to pretty much any field of business, in times of crisis there will always be opportunity.</div>
<div>
As you see below, there a general slowdown in adspend in all of MENA, not just Egypt, each market for its own reason, falling oil prices, conflict in Yemen, political instability...etc. That said, 2017 won't be any better as there will be more pressure on brands to cut on costs, the obvious bucket.. guess what... advertising :)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-BWF7gw47wB1gLDawNFX97QKd_28usXT0g-6TDN0YKdUrMHmUzUG1xrdiPHSngbQUs02n6IW3C8AKkVxVWu2eGy0FT1CvHAII0FcPXpFsrFWuwe7iMxexjbqMkLikCSuOW58rlTOTNPIn/s1600/ext.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-BWF7gw47wB1gLDawNFX97QKd_28usXT0g-6TDN0YKdUrMHmUzUG1xrdiPHSngbQUs02n6IW3C8AKkVxVWu2eGy0FT1CvHAII0FcPXpFsrFWuwe7iMxexjbqMkLikCSuOW58rlTOTNPIn/s320/ext.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
With that in mind, there are less players on the advertising scene.. Therefore with less noise competition, those who play with smart strategies and placements will win BIG in the hearts, minds and pockets of consumers</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
While it would be absurdly naive to assume that brands create heartwarming ads from the goodness of their hearts, there has to be a commercial win obviously. But a marketer that achieves that commercial win while inspiring people and winning over their their hearts, would've achieved the holy grail of marketing.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Bottomline: Bravo CocaCola, Bravo Vodafone... keep them coming!</div>
</div>
3omdazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13045877177885294623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5320040490750843967.post-54762520408557554762015-12-23T13:04:00.001+02:002015-12-23T13:04:48.801+02:00Top 10 ads of 2015<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
http://scoopempire.com/the-top-10-ads-2015/#.Vnp_gLZ96M8</div>
3omdazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13045877177885294623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5320040490750843967.post-68100146991225464762015-07-16T00:58:00.000+02:002015-07-16T00:58:22.248+02:00Ramadan 2015 - Post 8 - Honorable Mentions<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
http://scoopempire.com/ramascoops-2015-honorable-mentions/</div>
3omdazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13045877177885294623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5320040490750843967.post-11596770739232871772015-07-13T12:12:00.002+02:002015-07-13T12:12:55.190+02:00Ramadan 2015 - Post 7 - The Concrete Jungle<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
http://scoopempire.com/ramascoops-2015-the-concrete-jungle</div>
3omdazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13045877177885294623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5320040490750843967.post-82837083715737988092015-07-10T23:19:00.002+02:002015-07-10T23:19:18.883+02:00Ramadan 2015 - Post 6 - CocaCola Changes The Ramadan Advertising Game<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
http://scoopempire.com/ramascoops-cocacola-changes-the-ramadan-advertising-game</div>
3omdazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13045877177885294623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5320040490750843967.post-84941328622578615172015-07-10T23:18:00.004+02:002015-07-10T23:18:41.199+02:00Ramadan 2015 - Post 5 - Amr Diab Overdose<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
http://scoopempire.com/ramascoops-2015-amr-diab-overdose/</div>
3omdazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13045877177885294623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5320040490750843967.post-81027051646655346212015-07-10T23:18:00.000+02:002015-07-10T23:18:00.898+02:00Ramadan 2015 - Post 4 - Big Blue Strikes Again… Is This Last Year’s Ad?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
http://scoopempire.com/ramascoops-2015-big-blue-strikes-again-is-this-last-years-ad-pepsi</div>
3omdazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13045877177885294623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5320040490750843967.post-1986322308744474712015-07-10T23:17:00.002+02:002015-07-10T23:17:26.978+02:00Ramadan 2015 - Post 3 - The Snacking Edition<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
http://scoopempire.com/ramascoops-the-snacking-edition</div>
3omdazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13045877177885294623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5320040490750843967.post-4223502172408162382015-06-24T14:24:00.000+02:002015-06-24T14:24:16.466+02:00Ramadan 2015 - Post 2 - The Telecom Fight<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
http://scoopempire.com/ramascoops-ramadan-2015-battle-of-the-telecoms/#.VYqhWhuqqko</div>
3omdazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13045877177885294623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5320040490750843967.post-91847509778883181892015-06-20T11:55:00.001+02:002015-06-20T12:00:59.909+02:00Ramadan 2015 - Post 1 - Disappointing start<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Link to Post release 1 :)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://scoopempire.com/ramascoops-disappointing-start-for-2015-ramadan-ads">http://scoopempire.com/ramascoops-disappointing-start-for-2015-ramadan-ads</a></div>
3omdazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13045877177885294623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5320040490750843967.post-24681473422839298472015-04-23T10:40:00.001+02:002015-04-23T10:52:29.047+02:00ArabNet Beirut - March 2015 - Panel Discussion: Social Influencers and Brand Sentiment<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hi folks<br />
<br />
I was honored to be part of the panel discussion entitled: Social Influencers and Brand Sentiment.. this was part of the prestigious ArabNet Beirut Conference<br />
<br />
The session was moderated by Amer Tabesh, Producer and Presenter in Future TV<br />
<br />
Fellow panelists were:<br />
- Peggy Khoury - Social Media Manager - Phoenicia and Vendome Hotels<br />
- Nadia Mneimneh - Fashionsta and Instagrammer<br />
- Gino Rady - Lebanese Blogger and Social Media Icon<br />
<br />
Check it out..<br />
Hope you find it useful :)<br />
<br />
Cheers<br />
3omdaz<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hHKzVvyI2jI" width="560"></iframe></div>
3omdazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13045877177885294623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5320040490750843967.post-54501606558022129752014-07-24T03:46:00.000+02:002014-07-24T19:53:15.183+02:00The campaign that saved Ramadan 2014..<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Every year, comes out 1 campaign that becomes an icon for
years to come.. From <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpJSyfX21Io" target="_blank">“Bibo far2a3 Gigi” in the early 2000s</a>, to Melody Tunes <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8VAtVBg6V0" target="_blank">(ol Ingelesh, ol za tayem)</a> in
2007, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP0YpBuzIuk" target="_blank">Maxibon “Abooya”</a> &<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-eWMlgZkJo" target="_blank"> Mobinil Dayman Ma3 Ba3d Song</a> in 2012.. this year,
it is beyond no doubt that Tecno Mobile is this campaign.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> ِAfter a rather disappointing season this Ramadan with little good copies; Hany Ramzy's thighs, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WEIzY_zCPE" target="_blank">the Fridge that el gen el azra2 el quite fond of</a>.. Tecno Mobile come to us with a fresh concept in 8 different copies that are all as hilarious..</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/pbPVqyXjOGc?list=PL2PFaLH68tvGLKl6X5R10_4-Jc--sPMEA" width="560"></iframe></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p>It is becoming inevitable that mobile is the most important device in our lives, it is the one device that does not stay more than 10 meters away from you at any point during the day, you wouldn't go back home if you forgot your wallet but you'll definitely go back for your mobile.... need I say more?</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p>With more than 120% penetration on mobile phones in Egypt, it is about time to elevate the smartphone penetration, currently sitting at a mere 15-20%.</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p>Not the whole world can afford an iPhone 5S or a Samsung G5, someone had to step in with a more convenient option.. a more affordable thus attainable option.. is Tecno Mobile that option?</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p>From a campaign point of view, the ads are great.. Great creative input from BBDO Cairo, great interpretation and cinematography from award winning director (and ex creative director) Ali Ali..</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The situations are real, everyday hiccups that you find yourself in and only a smart phone can help.. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Speaking of real situations, we actually beat you to a donkey selfie a couple of months ago on a business trip to upper Egypt :)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7EhHlFNyutkyrVCqwaQerqJzXywT7Zo4G4HcZZd7hx8zN01IKvuKGt_uDPphUe0QI-m0iZyzjIB_yoTZbchtXYKDVWodJgIP0CFs8xwGLBJYKW4RNymqylAhY5AnswC_c_xid0tXTlD2f/s1600/donkey+selfie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7EhHlFNyutkyrVCqwaQerqJzXywT7Zo4G4HcZZd7hx8zN01IKvuKGt_uDPphUe0QI-m0iZyzjIB_yoTZbchtXYKDVWodJgIP0CFs8xwGLBJYKW4RNymqylAhY5AnswC_c_xid0tXTlD2f/s1600/donkey+selfie.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
From another stand, the campaign seems to be getting a lot of heat for 2 reasons:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>A lot of people look at the campaign as an elitist one, looking down at doormen, mechanics, makwageyya...etc.. Well the fact of the matter is, if you're already one of that class, you'll probably just find it funny because these are situations that you come across in your day to day.. <br />Haters will always be haters... But that wave seems to be gaining popularity</li>
<li>The phones sells itself as the "Smartphone for everyone"... I dont think "everyone" can particularly afford a phone that is 2300-2800 LE... Coming to think about it, the caliber we saw in the ad would be barely making this amount of money a month, let alone spare it on a smart phone for their leisure.. so I'm not sure if the disconnect here came from the client brief (which didnt highlight the price), or the agency that took their humor way too far to actually omit the fact they're actually going off brief..<br />Either way, being so humorous about a certain chunk of society, while giving them a phone they can't afford will definitely loop back to point #1, that you're actually making fun of them...<br />Also one piece of advice to Tecno Mobile social media handlers, make your dialogue on Facebook in Arabic, immediately... Some people are already not too happy with the ad but are asking for the phone anyway, at least reply back in the language they prefer; don't talk from your ivory tower up in the sky.. they wont like it and they'll lash you for it... soon</li>
</ol>
<div>
Concluding remark... great ad, loved the scripts and the humor... I just hope it sells well with such a hefty price-tag.<br />
Thank you BBDO and Ali Ali</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Thats all this time..</div>
<div>
Till we meet again,</div>
<div>
3omdaz</div>
</div>
3omdazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13045877177885294623noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5320040490750843967.post-45053263339159413752014-07-19T14:40:00.002+02:002014-07-19T14:40:18.724+02:00Ramadan 2014 - The Sh*t Ads post<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hello Friends,<br />
Hope Ramadan is treating you well so far..<br />
<br />
As we approach the end of Ramadan with less than 10 days ahead of us, I took all the time possible to wait for these to counter the damage they've done to us over the past 20 days.. But since there wasn't much into their campaigns than what we actually saw... so i'll have to crown them the worst of Ramadan 2014<br />
<br />
<br />
Cotonil:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/2f37O13RdQ0" width="560"></iframe><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Being the local underwear brand in the country, it was no surprise the Cotonil will go with a local activity.. But this, this is just taking local and throwing it out of the window...<br />
With a series of very frail teasers that leave you not longing to keep track of what comes next; they come to us with this copy.. A TVC that says nothing about the brand, humiliates Hany Ramzy by dancing in his undies (a sight probably no one would want to see) and destroying a classic piece of Egyptian culture.. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScT8lNFJhAE" target="_blank">Fouad El Mohandes' and Soad Hosny's musical from Ganab El Safir (1966)</a>.. Even worse, they haven't even paid the rights to the music, thus why it's been taken off air.... El Hamdulellah!<br />
<br />
A silly copy that was wisely replaced <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rJbp_OvDk8" target="_blank">with this copy</a>.. Which i think is a much better alternative, but the damage has been done anyways... The sight of Hany Ramzy's thighs will probably stick in my memory for a while..<br />
<br />
Bank Misr:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/2WUn58Ew8YE" width="420"></iframe><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">OK so weak creative with
bad humor is one thing, but an entirely stolen concept that has absolutely no
cultural relevance is just absurd.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Riverdance has risen to
stardom in the mid 90s </span><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mC0rWgUqTc" target="_blank">when introduced to stageon EuroVision by an Irish couple</a></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">…
So its not only pertaining to a certain culture, its actually very specific to
a certain family that seem to have made this a profession.. The relevance of
this copy to anything Egyptian has raised a lot of eyebrows and created a major
wave of questioning and ridicule on social media, such as the below.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY4AT232NPguT4y-wBexcfhyphenhyphenOnb_06TMmE2-HXJN5Ma1hDylSydMHcNTcy-V5-2KxHjXUt59oxsEw1G0WqUxKxjgTcbSE_k7vjeGg42ngDIGnMdh0vsVxSeW52FaWPDOYEQHBQQ7d1bYkF/s1600/Fahita.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY4AT232NPguT4y-wBexcfhyphenhyphenOnb_06TMmE2-HXJN5Ma1hDylSydMHcNTcy-V5-2KxHjXUt59oxsEw1G0WqUxKxjgTcbSE_k7vjeGg42ngDIGnMdh0vsVxSeW52FaWPDOYEQHBQQ7d1bYkF/s1600/Fahita.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Recipe of a failed copy, a bad song with inaudible lyrics and incoherent choreography that is not even in sync.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">What really bothers me actually is the fact that for the past couple of years, the Bank Masr people have always come to us with pretty decent copies (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Py2E1Htq4kM" target="_blank">Corporate Copy</a><u> and </u>and Masra7eyyat in 2012).. Too bad they approved this concept this year..</span></div>
<br />
<b>Mega Cookies:</b><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Hw9Q3NkggQY" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/kgX7ef768mM" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/gS_ckJozUqI" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/yM4XLrNB0sw" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">OK.. so I took my sweet
time with this, watched all the copies, over and over again… Asked friends
inside and outside the industry; thinking that something is wrong with me and I
cannot get it..<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Turns out that everyone
share the sentiments to the Mega Cookies ad… a horrible set of ads that have
nothing to do with….. anything, really!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">From standing at the
edge of someone deathbed to getting robbed to a Korean ping-pong…. What are
they trying to say here… seriously? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I’ll do my best to
decipher the message here… amongst all life’s pressures, Mega Cookies will take
you out of it all on a 5 minute journey of indulgence that you won’t feel
anything else around you?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I think the team at
Nestle thought that it would be a good idea to take things over the edge and
take the risk of an eccentric copy, as they did with<span style="color: black;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP0YpBuzIuk" target="_blank"> </a></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP0YpBuzIuk" target="_blank">the first Maxbon copy of 2012</a></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP0YpBuzIuk" target="_blank">.. </a>but this one was taking it a bit too far.. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">The result? A major
backfire in Nestle’s face that dropped brand love to subzero levels in a jiffy…
khosara!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><b>Concluding remark</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I'm not writing all of this just to shoot someone in the foot, hope the makers of these ads take this critique with an open heart, use the learnings and run with them for a better stronger come back next season</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Till we meet again,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Cheerio</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;">3omdaz</span></div>
</div>
3omdazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13045877177885294623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5320040490750843967.post-39356115485215565582014-07-11T22:02:00.003+02:002014-07-12T01:32:52.358+02:00The Telecom Post - Ramadan Galak :)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hello friends, <br />
Welcome back<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As we all know; Ramadan is the biggest season of advertising
in Egypt; with the highest TV viewership, the most expensive ads and of course;
the year’s best creative output.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Last week, we’ve discussed the work of both poles of the CDS
rivalry.. Comes next is a rivalry that is not any less fierce, the competition
on Telecom Operators.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In this post we’ll discuss the works of all 3 operators.. so
without further ado.. let’s dig in <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Vodafone<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/6DgGx1Q5zLs" width="420"></iframe> <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Just to shed some perspective on the matter, the cost of airing
a 30 second TV spot in Ramadan is obviously higher than normal months; roughly
around 40-50 thousand EGP (yes, every single time you air it).. so by the time
you went to get yourself a bottle of water or ran to the bathroom for a quick
pee; you probably missed around half a million pounds of advertising.. That
makes the Ramadan budget for any advertiser a significant chunk of their full
year spend.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Vodafone this year decided to play things differently,
instead of dumping millions and millions of pounds on a TV copy that will get
aired along with 10 other ads in the same ad-break; they tackled things differently
here; Take a 30 minute segment on MBC Masr, brand it completely; get 3 rising
comedians (ex Bassem Youssef entourage; Khalid Mansour, Ayman Wattar &
Shady Alfonse) to present it for you…. Cherry on top, you give out a 100,000
EGP A DAY to a lucky winner!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Coming to think about it, the cost of all these together
could be end up generating efficiencies for the Telco giant. (3 million pounds
for the prizes, say 5-8 million pounds for the 30 minute airtime, plus the
production cost and the Trio fees).. So assuming the whole project cost them 15
million pounds, it is still cheaper than what they would have spent on airing a
normal copy.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For those who haven’t seen it, the idea of the program is
really simple; we’ll pick 5 numbers at random and if you’ a Vodafone customer have
these numbers in your phone number (in any order), and sent Vodafone an SMS; you
get in the draw for a chance to win 100,000 EGP… simple <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Being the brilliant script writers they are; along with the
creative agency’s creative team; Khalid, Ayman and Shady always find innovative
ways to make the selection of the 5 numbers quite intriguing, witty and fun… I
have only seen bits and pieces of the program but I honestly liked what I saw..
I urge you to watch some and judge for yourself.. they’re available here on <span style="color: red;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/vodafoneegypt" target="_blank">VF’s Youtube channel.</a></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While the choice of the anchors of the show is quite smart; I’m
not sure if they would appeal to the full audience of Vodafone.. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While Khalid, Ayman and Shady are pretty good scriptwriters, actors and
comedians, I feel that their use jargon and sarcasm of certain situations;
would only appeal to the A/B class segment… I’m not sure if you ask a taxi
driver about the opening sequence of the program; he’ll recognize that the trio
is actually reenacting Daft Punk’s Get Lucky.. he’ll see a silly clip of 3 guys
in shiny suits, wigs and a motorbike helmet (nice helmet btw, Shady).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One other flaw that this project has, is that the whole
investment has been made only on one channel, so all the efforts there are
focused on the MBC Masr audience only.. so while all the other advertisers are
relying on a <u>push approach</u>, where they push their copies onto the ad
breaks of popular Ramadan TV serials and programs. Vodafone here applies <u>a
pull approach</u>, where they are relying that the word of mouth the competition
will generate will pull the audience to the MBC Masr screen at 10 pm.. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I see this very risky because nowadays, and especially in
Ramadan, people are becoming more content driven rather than channel driven..
So gone are the days where you would sit infront of one TV channel and waiting
for whatever content it will throw at you.. You now hold your remote control
and zap along until you find a piece of content that is interesting to you..
This makes the advertisers’ job to try and widen their reach as much as they
can to capture as much as possible of their target audience with their
messaging.. In Ramadan specifically, people know exactly what serial they want
to watch, when they want to watch it and on which channels (plus the re-runs if
they missed the first airing)… So assuming that you might capture their
attention by being on air for 30 minutes on one channel could be a bit naïve.. <br />
<br />
As far as a non-MBC Masr viewer is concerned, Vodafone is not doing anything
this Ramadan.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
Don’t get me wrong, I like the program, a lot actually.. I just hope this doesn’t
kill its flow.. They have a good platform, good ideas, an amazing crew that can
get them places… If people get to see them properly!<br />
A quick counterargument to myself though, if they’re giving out a 100 thousand
pounds a day, you might as well want to tune in and see if you got lucky.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Great job to all colleagues on this project.. Kudos <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Mobinil<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/SLn8wwGujP8" width="560"></iframe><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/MqQg4j7TDTE" width="560"></iframe><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/gSqrPXUXrEc" width="560"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is the kind of campaign that grows on you after a
while, initially I hated it, bit by bit I started getting dragged into it… and
now I LOVE it every time I see it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Playing on the insight that people actually become pretty
slow in Ramadan (especially this year with the long fasting hours, the scorching
heat and just dealing with other fasting people), the discussion does really
become that at some points of time… “was that me or you, did I ask for this or you
just… uhmm…. Huh….?”... Who wouldn’t relate to that.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What I love about this one is the attention to detail in all
aspects of the copy, the redundancy in the discussion, the confusion, the cast
and the punchlines just make it a pleasure to watch every time.. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My favorite part of the 3 copies are the discussions that
happen..<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 39.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span dir="LTR"></span>Heya di… bas mesh heya di..
ana mesh faker ay 7aga.. 3ata, enta faker 7aga?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 39.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span dir="LTR"></span>Ya ostaz law sama7t
mateddakhalsh beini w bein el madam… hahahaha.. classic<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 39.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span dir="LTR"></span>Ya ostaz keda mesh 7aneftar
fel beit<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
Hatooli el copywriter abooso… Brilliant campaign, want to see it over and over
again.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
End note: One thing about it though, it has been a signature for Mobinil to produce a brilliant idea that will get people to talk about, with zero recollection of the message... so people will always remember the guy fighting the cheese stand at the supermarket, or being confused in the shop... but no one will remember what was the offer Mobinil was advertising in the first place... food for thought :)<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Honorable mention – 7arreefet el net campaign:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/N4g7fX9chAg" width="560"></iframe><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/L9CJ64aD_uU" width="420"></iframe><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/_JseLXNqFWw" width="560"></iframe> <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/NYxVOcRsHQo" width="560"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Although this campaign has actually been airing for the past
month or two, but I want to take the chance to salute the team behind this one
as well.. Easily my favorite campaign of the year.<br />
<br />
Again, the choice of cast, the situations and the reactions are just hilarious…
I personally reenact the Hashtag copy with my son 2-3 times a day.. just
hilarious.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Aside from the comedy on Hashtag, Selfie and Tag situations;
they also got situations that really ONLY 7arreefet el net would understand,
like the Ahmed Sheeba copy (which I personally didn’t know what it really meant
till a friend showed me <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzRzaJzr9dQ" target="_blank">the original situation being imitated</a>)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Beautiful campaign… just beautiful\<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Etisalat<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/IN5N51hleL8" width="560"></iframe><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This one comes to us from my friends at King Tut Playground (ex
Leo Burnett’s Mohammed Hamdalla’s new venture).. I really like this one as
well.<br />
The insights there are quite vivid to everyone, yet the KTP team did a great
job putting them all together, to bring us to the conclusion that we really
need to change how we operate as things are indeed moving very fast around us..<br />
Who now doesn’t see a 2 year old using a tablet better than adults, weird kids
in weird clothes and haircuts that change every 2 months.. The hash sign has
always been there on telephone dialpads, nothing fancy there.. until the launch
of Twitter, skinny jeans (and its 90s version of bantalo esteretch) have always
been a part of a girl’s wardrobe, till a couple of years ago where they crawled
into men’s fashion as well..<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The world now is REALLY moving too fast now; as rightfully
said in the copy (<span dir="RTL" lang="AR-EG">إللي
ماجددش, إختفي</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> - Those who don’t renovate… disappear)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Great insights, great art direction.. great copy.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Bravo KTP<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br />
Telecom Egypt<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/tEivzuViA9A" width="560"></iframe><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Telecom Egypt come back this year after last year’s disaster
copy <span style="color: red;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2JNZLQ5ZXY" target="_blank">(Dawwar Gowa Zatak)</a></span> with a pretty emotional
copy..<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Reminding us that Telecom Egypt has been a key participant
in the important events throughout Egypt’s history; using real insights and real
situations.. They have always been there indeed, from the Suez Canal
nationalization, through the grey phone with the round keypad that every home
in Egypt had, the internet dial up modem, to the day where mobiles were launched in Egypt (with Nokia
Banana and Ericsson 788); when it actually cost you like 3 pounds per minute (w
ne2fel el telephone b mofta7 el zero w keda)….lots of good memories with
landline <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
These aside, I really love how they played on the revolution
situation; the telecom blackout between Jan 28<sup>th</sup>-30<sup>th</sup> when
we all went back to basics and started dialing landlines all over again, great
manifestation of it in the ad, where the protestor literally throws his mobile
phone away and picks up the landline phone..<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One fallout here, the overkill of Amir Eid and his Cairokee crew
is becoming a bit too much.. I said it once in the Masr El Kheir ad and I’m
saying it again.. The point about celebrity endorsement is novelty and
enjoyment.. I don’t think getting them to sing in your ad is new, nor does it
add any joy to it, as I’ve already heard them a million times before..<br />
If I were them, I would stop taking ad contracts for a while, if this drags
longer I think it will actually hurt their career where people will be bored of
hearing them already, they’re all over the place.<br />
Again, don’t get me wrong, I love the Cairokee crew and really admire their
talent, but hearing them in one ad is great, hearing them in 50 ads is
exhausting your talent.<br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One last thing worth mentioning, while Telecom Egypt has
indeed been part of the Egyptian culture, they’re fading away.. with mobile
phones reaching 100%+ on penetration, the decline on landline subscriptions and
the high reliance on wireless connectivity in everything.. Telecom Egypt should
definitely find a way to get back in the game (be it by introducing the 4<sup>th</sup>
Telecom Operator or other solutions)… I would steal a quote from their friends
in Etisalat.. (<span dir="RTL" lang="AR-EG">إللي ماجددش,
إختفي</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> - Those who don’t renovate… disappear)..</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hope they learn the lesson and action it… before it’s too late.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
That’s all I got for you this time around<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
See you when I see you <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><br />
Till next time, stay safe..<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
3omdaz<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
3omdazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13045877177885294623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5320040490750843967.post-77344941496963492892014-07-06T17:31:00.000+02:002014-07-07T15:07:16.193+02:00Big Blue strikes back - Pepsi Ramadan 2014<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hello friends,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It is without doubt that Pepsi has always been a moving
force in the Egyptian advertising scene.. Creating ads that leave a mark in our
memory for ages now.. For the past couple of years they've been quite idle,
leaving Coke to dominate the ad scene and rise to the spotlight... Until last
year.. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ramadan 2013 was a game changer for the CSD market, when
Pepsi brought us <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nY6EVjusFHA" target="_blank">this wonderful copy</a> that took us back to our childhood days
and brought tears to everyone’s eyes.. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Worked out beautifully for them, Pepsi ad was the talk of town
and our FB newsfeeds turned Blue overnight..</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What we’re about to witness this year won’t be any different,
I am writing this only 1 hour after the release of the Pepsi Ramadan 2014 ad on
Youtube; it hasn’t gone on TV yet; and my newsfeed is already FLODDED with
shares of the Pepsi film..<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ahwkb2TdA5M" width="560"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now this is a very emotional copy, well written; well casted
and well shot.. Including the biggest and brightest stars of the past.. be it
Mama Nagwa & Bo2loz, Four M, The Egyptian Squad of 1990, Hesham Abbas &
7ameed or the star of this year’s copy; George Sidhom.. For those who don’t
know, George Sidhom has been terribly ill for the past 10+ years and was nearly in
vegetative state, bringing him back was a truly pleasant surprise.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQwXfDiSe0pBfWUFNmT6HsBVEpwD38N1miV1fKEhhXTAnfYQNDsXAY04CLE5JnHaRJw-CFeU-8huNP2FOzar5Vf6NxWqWTV0pQga8M3xdgmZlQgnb8-FNBZivT-KomXY5CKzYmvaMAHMYa/s1600/kk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQwXfDiSe0pBfWUFNmT6HsBVEpwD38N1miV1fKEhhXTAnfYQNDsXAY04CLE5JnHaRJw-CFeU-8huNP2FOzar5Vf6NxWqWTV0pQga8M3xdgmZlQgnb8-FNBZivT-KomXY5CKzYmvaMAHMYa/s1600/kk.jpg" height="177" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While this is a great piece of work indeed; there are 2
things that I don’t quite get about the copy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The ad does not give a
Ramadan feel … So while gathering prominent figures of the Egyptian showbiz
scene; none of them have anything to do with Ramadan (with the exception of the
Boogi w Tamtam).. Last year they got all Ramadan characters, so maybe this year
they run out of cast? Or is the point here is to “nekammel lammetna”
regardless?</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">There’s a big disconnect in
the demographic targeting of this ad vs what Pepsi is doing globally.. So in
their global World Cup TVC, they have Janelle Monae singing in the background; </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">a singer only known to the youngsters (and
Nikki Minaj in the one before); clearly targeting teens and tweens.. </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Now they come in this copy and get a band formed in 1979, crew of a legendary masra7eyya that broke stage in 1981 and a song duo that was a smash-hit alright; but in 1992.. </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">During my marketing studies, kan fi Professor tayyeb ebn 7alal that told us that
Pepsi talks to 16-24s.. </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">if that is still the case, then let me assure you that this target probably has
no idea who are the people in the ad in the first place… <br />So for a 20 year old, Four M had stopped singing by the time he/she was 2 and he/she weren't even conceived when Egypt made it to the World Cup with this squad. </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Personally speaking,
at the age of 29 I had trouble recognizing Gamal Abdel Hamid or Hesham Yakan..<br /><div style="text-indent: -24px;">
<br />
I had the same comment on last year’s copy
honestly, that spoke to the 80s generation.. This year they even took it a step
further by talking to the 70s generation… Let’s see, maybe in a couple of years’ time
we’ll see a Pepsi ad starring Naguib El Ri7ani and Sharafanta7.</div>
<div style="text-indent: -24px;">
The direction of the company for the past year or so has been #Yalla_Now... now mnein bas... momken tb2a #Walla_Zaman... azbat!</div>
</span></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast">
Nevertheless, it is indeed a great copy that I’m sure will
touch the hearts of millions of Egyptians this year..</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That said, it doesn’t just stop at the copy.. The whole
objective (which will probably be revealed in days to come) and was apparent in
the last 30 seconds of the ad; is for you to take a picture of an old “lamma”
you had and renact with the same people and send it to their website.. once you
do, they’ll collate all the pictures and light up the Fanoos in AbdelMon3em
Riad square… very smart<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
So what do you think…. will we see more people sharing old pictures of themselves or their names written on a Coke can?<br />
<br />
This is the first year that I cannot foresee a winner... as there is real competition..<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We’ll have to wait and see<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Stay tuned<br />
Cheers<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3omdaz</div>
</div>
3omdazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13045877177885294623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5320040490750843967.post-60074767199071642014-06-30T18:12:00.001+02:002014-06-30T21:30:09.754+02:00Ramadan 2014 - Post 1 - CocaCola a7la ma3....?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hello friends,<br />
Ramadan Karim<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Welcome back, I long to connect virtually with all of you
kol sana, your feedback is what keeps me coming back every year with more
passion and drive to give you some useful timekillers for your reading
pleasures… <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If this is your first time reading this, enjoy the ride
(this is an advertising critique blog btw)! <span style="font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Wingdings;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s no secret that Ramadan is becoming of less intensity
since 2011.. With the current country conditions, economy slowdown, high inflation
of advertising prices as well as a horrible business year in 2013 that affected
nearly all marketing budgets of 2014.. making advertisers more cautious about
where they’ll deploy their monies, thus making Ramadan a bit of a question mark
rather than a non-missable advertising festival.. fa yeegi el marketer men dol
y2ollak tab mana afokk Ramadan b 3 normal months and still generate the same
viewership.. so its a trade off really..<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So instead of advertisers fighting over who gets the first
spot after Iftar, willing to pay up to double price for a premium position ad;
we now see merely 3-4 ads in a 6 hour post-Iftar viewership period in the first
day of Ramadan.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
See, Ramadan is a game of muscle, so it doesn’t just stop on
who can make a good ad... It’s also about who has the weight to keep airing
that ad for a full month.. So they literally put their money where their mouth
is… Add to that some mandate of advance payments from media suppliers so you
find yourself paying millions of pounds in advance vs paying in 60-75 days post
airing..<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All these reasons combined make us see less ads than we did in years before, and
that is why a lot of advertisers are now moving into other high impact
alternatives that are relatively cheaper than TV; such as Digital Media, Youtube, On Ground Activations…etc<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So I’ll quickly recap on the ads that actually did make it to TV screens in
the first day of Ramadan<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Mountain View:</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/iSLfVhnBVR4" width="560"></iframe><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Since last year and these guys have been doing impressive
ads.. This time taking a bit over the edge with the Hulk Ads.. An exaggerated manifestation
of how frustrating it could be to live in our wonderful Cairo..</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I mean, who wouldn’t relate to such situations, being stuck
in traffic for longer than you’d want, trying to sleep but the ruckus of good
old Cairo just wouldn’t let you.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On a serious note though, I’m getting a bit tired of the
extremism in all real estate ads lately (including those of Moussa Coast <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeZbq7k56gU" target="_blank">TVC 1</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDEXYGus22Q" target="_blank">TVC 2</a> ) in showing how unbearable
the country is; when you want to break free from the bourgeoisie status and
live the American dream of a garden, dog and nice little white mailbox with a
red flag.. <br />
Keep doing this a couple of years more and these compounds will get raided by
the underprivileged who think it’s heaven on the other side of the fence… just
saying<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You can show how great your real estate project is without blaspheming
the everyday life of an average Cairene.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Grade: B<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Nestle - Mega Cookies:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Hw9Q3NkggQY" width="560"></iframe><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ever since Maxibon launch in 2012, Nestle IceCream have
taken the route of retro Instagrammish colors, fused in with some black
comedy.. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A strategy that worked nicely in 2012, less in 2013 (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-f6aefkpEk" target="_blank">KhodFeshar</a>) and now this.. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m not too sure what to make out of it, but my initial
feeling was “eww”..<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Although it literally list out the product attributes and
what it does to you (functionally and emotionally), but I still feel a big
disconnect between the context of the situation and the consumption moment. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There isn’t a lot of science behind why I don’t like it.. so
I’ll have to go with gut feeling.. <br />
Not my cup of tea honestly..<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Grade: C<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Misr El Kheir:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/QZfAIU3u6v0" width="420"></iframe><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A very cool visual transformation from laborer to school
student, or from student to astronaut.. A mellow ad of how little things can
make a big difference.. my only issue with it; The Cairokee overkill.. exhausted
is an understatement.<br />
While the song is actually not bad, but I’m not much in favor of <span dir="RTL" lang="AR-EG">اللي تغلب به, إلعب به</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> theory.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The point about using
celebrities in the ad is relevance, association and novelty.. It was a poor
choice to recruit a talent that people have heard a million times in a million
ads before, and who were much strongly associated with another brand.. Maybe if
they would have went for more of an underground band and brought to stardom, it
maybe would have played well in their favor.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Grade: B<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Coca Cola – a7la ma3:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/eel_FoX0Xng" width="560"></iframe><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Saving best for last… obviously<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s no secret that CocaCola Egypt has raised the bar of
their ideation and advertising to a whole new level. So instead of advertising
functionally saying how great the product is; they’re giving you reasons to
fall in love with it more with every copy they produce… Thus working to be - as
per Saatchi & Saatchi’s jargon - a Lovemark.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In this campaign, Coke have used a mix of being both a
global and a local brand.. while getting the best of both worlds.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So while the name-on-Coke initiative is not a new idea (it
was actually applied in a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbyIYAaTo9w" target="_blank">nationwide campaign in Australia 2012</a> ,
and awarded a Gold Lion in Cannes for the Best use of Outdoor); the way they executed the campaign locally
however was very smart.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Instead of paying a gazillion dollars for sponsorship of one
mega star.. they got a gazillion local stars/ mini-celebrities; each in his own
field.. To make sure that no matter who is watching the copy; they would still relate
by seeing a fellow friend/workmate on the TVC.. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Below are only the ones I was able to identify... Feel free
to add on to those if I missed out on any..<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Abla Fahita, Mohamed M7asseb (DJ), Tameem Youness (Creative
Director and known for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us2bB8u3kVw" target="_blank">Rasseeni video blog</a>), Aly Mazhar (Personal trainer - Be
Fit), Bibo w Beshir, Sayed Abu 7afiza, Hadrass & Fazza3 (Al Kabeer), 2ar2ar
Sandood (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn4vtt5NnGA" target="_blank">Internet sensation of 2009 Valentine’s Day</a>),
Hossam Hosni, Mostafa Talaat aka Moos (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/likejellymusic" target="_blank">Like Jelly Band</a>), <a href="https://www.facebook.com/cairokee" target="_blank">Cairokee Band</a>, Omar Taher (Writer), Amina
Khalil (Actress)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While being a global adaptation, the idea itself is a
marvellous platform of sharing and multiplying sales… Imagine going into a
3ozooma and finding each and every person’s name on his custom-made bottle/can.. I have my
reasons to love it of course <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghiOQbkX380mCmHEw_uptZp11r-9B6Ld2QwUjpMGknrKMsYhEYAKwvZz5sFm_NMLwyrUVeiZzZa3HeFLyAuQAoPsAEtL2G31MMm8apSzY6wU7DdqPfCiM59sCWQx93RTexTjymUTXVztpO/s1600/3omda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghiOQbkX380mCmHEw_uptZp11r-9B6Ld2QwUjpMGknrKMsYhEYAKwvZz5sFm_NMLwyrUVeiZzZa3HeFLyAuQAoPsAEtL2G31MMm8apSzY6wU7DdqPfCiM59sCWQx93RTexTjymUTXVztpO/s1600/3omda.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While this was a nice campaign reveal, it would be very
interesting to see how they use the learnings they got from their friends in
Australia to translate a nice-to-see TV copy into a solid business case, so its not just about the TVC, its about how they stretch it further… </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Australia grew sales by 7% in 3 months.. will witness another record from Egypt this year?
We’ll have to wait and see<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Nevertheless, Coke gave us a highly loved and shareable copy
that we’d definitely love to see over and over again..<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One dare though… can you make me this can? ;)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOo4ssiwHs4RVdnvbLz9is9-aYgnB37yF0IERrTpqFnM6Z3q-gvUMXqAY-3vw0yzu0epPhMYmYmbhxaTKYUyP8ucJ2jRkjmeZe0yfRLGO953k9Jklrzm2rb2sh2Rk0Tx3o9Y6WNGGsTntv/s1600/10494696_10154288173680153_2832992019917428549_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOo4ssiwHs4RVdnvbLz9is9-aYgnB37yF0IERrTpqFnM6Z3q-gvUMXqAY-3vw0yzu0epPhMYmYmbhxaTKYUyP8ucJ2jRkjmeZe0yfRLGO953k9Jklrzm2rb2sh2Rk0Tx3o9Y6WNGGsTntv/s1600/10494696_10154288173680153_2832992019917428549_n.jpg" height="320" width="270" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Grade: A</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p>That's all I've got for you this time.. </o:p>Stay tuned for more next time.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
See u when I see you..<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3omdaz<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
3omdazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13045877177885294623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5320040490750843967.post-47724099807305116472013-07-24T12:11:00.000+02:002013-07-24T12:14:41.333+02:00Ramadan 2013 - Post 4 - The ads I will NOT talk about<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hi guys,<br />
Hope you're holding up well this Ramadan..<br />
<br />
As we're halfway into Ramadan now, most of the ads are already out (the good ones at least).. We've already dug through most of them, with the exception of a couple, which are below.<br />
This post will be a bit different.. I will not analyze nor grade any of the below ads, just showcase them and leave the evaluation up to you..<br />
<br />
The below bunch are ads of brands that I work on or their direct competitors.. Thus it does not make sense for me to analyze or grade any as my assessment will never be neutral.. so these are just for your viewing pleasures (and further discussion if you want)..<br />
<br />
<b>Cadbury Dairy Milk:</b><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/AzgtfM2-8-g" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Tang:</b><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/kUqBvpUDNTA" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
<b>Galaxy:</b><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/EWvC1Ytdc1k" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
The below set however, is just too horrible to even start discussing (in my view at least).. So i'll also leave them up to you..<br />
With all their flaws, they still managed to stir a lot of discussions and raise awareness amongst consumers.. Maybe that was the original objective, awareness and not likability..<br />
<br />
<b>Swani:</b><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/TUB16mvFu-Q" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/JtaOBS30AR4" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
<b>Cotonil:</b><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/LaFTbREOO4c" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
That's all for now..Stay tuned for more..<br />
As always, hashtag #3omdazblog or mention @3omdaz for further discussions...<br />
<br />
Cheerio<br />
3omdaz</div>
3omdazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13045877177885294623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5320040490750843967.post-19910195032756701672013-07-21T00:01:00.001+02:002013-07-21T00:13:23.735+02:00Ramadan 2013 - Post 3 - The Telecom Post... really?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hello friends,<br />
<br />
As far as I can remember, Telecom operators have always been the hottest advertisers in the country, the ones with the biggest budgets to produce and air top notch ads that keep us entertained all month long.. Memorable examples of these would be: Mobinil's Ana batkallem w a2ool ba7ebbak in 1997, Vodafone's Bibo far2a3 Gigi and Etisalat's all Star roster in 2010,, to name a few of course..<br />
<br />
Below is a compilation of all the Telecom ads that have been released so far, lets see if they were up to that reputation..<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Vodafone:</b><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/7FZsHv4JX98" width="420"></iframe><br />
<br />
The general trend in advertising is to take one to a world away from reality, a magical land of fantasy.. That would probably make you look up to the ad and aspire to what this brand will make you achieve.<br />
This year, Vodafone took this rulebook and flushed it down the toilet, an extremely down to earth ad.. As in literally down to earth.. They took a step back away from koll el hags bta3 el e3lanat da and gave us the essence of what being a true Egyptian is about, el gad3ana, helping out in time of need and simply sharing..<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
They took real situations, real people with real sentiments and actions that you see Egyptians practicing everyday.. A group of people pushing a broke car down the road, hanging on to a bus to get one's bicycle going or just splitting a loaf of bread with a fellow coworker or friend..<br />
The essence of the ad is quite noble actually, reiterating that Egyptians have always had sharing in their DNA way before social networks and mobile phones made it even easier.<br />
<br />
They passed on the message alright, a bit too much I would say.. to the extent it harmed the overall ad quality in the eyes of many. The production of the ad is so poor (not sure if intentional), as if it was shot with a mobile camera (a cheap mobile kaman).. Pixelated/shaky shots as well as minimal recoloring in post production.. Making the overall ad look as if its an amateur compilation uploaded onto Youtube by MizoTiger17.<br />
<br />
Question though, is this a way to get closer to the mass market? which comprises most of the operator's revenue.. As you can imagine the cashcow of the company are prepaid cards, la b2a roaming wala mobile internet w fatooret telefone b 2,000 LE wel kalam da... Its all about the mass and the guy who tops up his phone with 25 LE a week.. w el 3adad fel lamoon b2a.. Thus the mass revenue.<br />
<br />
The weird thing is that the ad does not advertise a specific offering (a reduction in minute rates, or double benefits on prepaid cards).. It is a generic brand message directed to all Vodafone consumers.. Making a lot of people feel left out. Which I think is not very clever of the VF Team.<br />
I'm not an elitist, at all actually.. But I just find it difficult hard to relate to such an ad; as it doesn't address me nor does it reflect my lifestyle.. Maybe it would score better with other SEC targets.<br />
<br />
Having Mounir on the ad definitely adds to the copy, the lyrics however didn't help much.. Actually the overall copywriting of the ad didn't sink well with me.. Ma7shi w Fteer, w kattar sheriak together.. in one ad... no thanks!<br />
<br />
I understand the intuition of getting down to grassroot level but a brand as big as Vodafone shouldn't have taken such a risk.. Would be very interested to look at the copy test results for this across different classes though, yemken ana elli ghaltan<br />
<br />
<b>Grade: C</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Mobinil:</b><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ZFbKYKiP9_U" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/3869wdXWfo8" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/9yoLhIL-Zqs" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
Funny ad, perhaps... to some people.. not to me though..<br />
As always, Mobinil comes with a high production ad, with lots of fireworks and florescent colors.. Big "creative" idea, if you wanna call it creative.. that does not get the message across..<br />
That was always Mobinil's way of communication, an extremely sticky ad that wouldn't tell you anything.. So we all remember the Yasmine AbdelAziz "7amra" Monkey ad or the "Ya Wad ya t2eel" copy a couple of years back.. but what was the ad about, what was the message they wanted to get across? Matla2eesh, zero, none.<br />
<br />
One more thing, I'm not too much in favor of swearing in the ads, Etnayyeli, Allah ye7ra2ek.. I'm not sure how this helps with the humor or the message delivery of the ads.. The Mobinil target is quite broad and lots of kids watch this... not too responsible from such a respectable brand to teach kids such jargon.. mesh enni 3am el mo2addab el 7assas, but just saying<br />
<br />
Although this comes as a disappointment for lots after Mobinil raised the bar tremendously with their Dayman Ma3 Ba3d song last year.. Bas overall fine, ok ad.. may2olsh la2... not the best i've seen come their way but not too bad either.. The Youssef Eid element probably serves them humorously well.. and that sexy black Shelby too (the car, ma7addesh yefham ghalat)..<br />
<br />
<b>Grade: B-</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Etisalat:</b><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/XdWIZrjw8Xw" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
Took me some time to find the Etisalat Ramadan copy, as they are still airing with not-so-fresh copies, The Austronaut shisa copy and the other one with the morphing play dough.<br />
After some search, I found this.. A tactical copy for a specific offering on mobile data.. nothing too special.. They can air this at any given non-Ramadan day and I still wouldn't remember it.<br />
<br />
Khosara..<br />
<br />
<b>Grade: D not for the copy, but for the overall effort,, or should I say for the lack of it</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Telecom Egypt:</b><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/D2JNZLQ5ZXY" width="420"></iframe><br />
<br />
Since the NTRA announced issuing the license of the 4th telecom operator and the industry has been cautiously awaiting this dormant giant that has offices in every inch of the country and how their business will be affected upon their launch.<br />
So the Telecom Egypt team have been beefing up a lot on their internal and external teams to prepare for the launch and they came up with......this!<br />
A very long copy that doesnt say much.. Not does it have any insinuation of the new mobile service being kicked in, with the exception of one guy talking in his mobile phone in sec "35..<br />
<br />
I'm quite disappointed to be honest, if this is the launch of the mobile division of Telecom Egypt..<br />
If the intention here is a rebranding and change of face of the 100 year old brand, then maybe I can start being a bit more lenient.<br />
<br />
Nevertheless I still don't like the ad, very tes3eenati.. the ad industry has come a very long way since then..<br />
I won't grade them now as "hopefully" we didn't see everything of this campaign yet.<br />
<br />
<b>Grade: N/A</b><br />
<br />
So overall, I can confidently say that this year none of the Telecom operators gave us anything appealing enough for entertainment or starting a discussion, let alone get a message across.. Aho e3lan wel salam.. which is not what we expect from such a giant category with big players..<br />
<br />
w 3la ra2y 7adret El Nazer Abdel Mo3ty f Madraset El Moshaghebeen... lam yanga7 a7ad!<br />
<br />
Hope I reflect some of your sentiments there.. I'm quite sad at the level of telecom ads this year..<br />
As always, if you have any questions or want to discuss something further, hashtag #3omdazblog or mention @3omdaz and we can have a chat :)<br />
<br />
Till I see you next time,<br />
Adios Amigos,<br />
3omdaz</div>
3omdazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13045877177885294623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5320040490750843967.post-74149586875066267022013-07-16T11:52:00.000+02:002013-07-16T12:54:26.358+02:00Ramadan 2013 - Post 2 - The Rise of the Blue Giant<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Good day friends,</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
NOW WHAT THE F*** WAS THAT?????</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
haha... I guess that was everyone's reaction upon seeing the Pepsi ad.. wasn't it?</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As mentioned on the previous post, Chipsy and Pepsi were cooking something, something BIG.. something that none of them could carry on their own or sustain with their individuals budgets.. and guess what, it is not only Pepsi & Chipsy Egypt.. They actually had to tie in with Pepsi and Lays Arabia to put all their coins and creative assets in one pot... and the below was the result... and it was BIG alright!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/bdn_3vNAUME" width="420"></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So apparently Pepsi as we know it back... EXTREMELY Emotional ad... Very moving and touches the heart in a jiffy.. Personally I got goosebumps upon seeing the late Fouad El Mohandes (my personal favorite actor of all time).. Very high production value (explaining the merger of Chipsy, Pepsi, 7-Up and Quaker to come up with this. Took more than just money apparently, when Pepsi asked for a beef-up in the creative talent on the BBDO (Pepsi's ad agency) roster, which saw a move of 3 of Leo Burnett's creative talents to the BBDO Team.. Yes, e7na el kar bta3na da 3amel zay la3eebet el kora, but we don't have a transfer season, its all year long :)</div>
<br />
There was also quite a collaboration between BBDO Cairo, BBDO Dubai and the post production team, brought specially to the Middle East to resurrect 3ammo Fouad.. so chapeau bas for the team work there, especially on such a big project.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The wave of emotion that followed this was just outstanding, woke up on the morning of the 14th and found my Facebook newsfeed flooded with shares (as with everyone else I guess).. Obviously no need to reiterate how big the social wave was as it is something we all noticed and even took part of.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
But enough speaking of how amazing the ad is... This is a critique at the end of the day, so I'll do my best trying to dissect that for points that not necessarily provoked me, but at least intrigued me to think:</div>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>With all the greatness of the ad, the high production and the great memories it brings, I'm not seeing where Pepsi/Chipsy/7Up/Quaker fit there. There is no brand role in the ad.. If I take out the Pepsi Truck and put a Vodafone store, it will still work.. Or take out the Vodafone store and put in a huge Juhayna yoguhrt tub, it'll still work (at least its even more relevant for Ramadan)</li>
<li>The ad depicts the most popular Ramadan icons of all time; all who ended their Ramadan careers by the mid 1990s (if not before kaman)<br />Fattoota (last season aired 1986)<br />Bougy w Tamtam (ceased around the early 90s)<br />Nelly & 3ammo Fouad (last Fawazeer aired around 1995)<br /><br />Last time I checked, Pepsi's core target audience is 16-24 (aw da elli khadnah fel madares at least).. with the bull's eye at 18 y/o... so this means eno by the time 3ammo Fouad stopped airing, that given person from the Pepsi core audience was still in his mom's womb... aw mama w baba makanoosh lessa 2ablo ba3d.<br />And its not just me, below is just a snapshot of what people of that target audience think of the ad... they dont even have a clue!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4nuzLcLgwxaYAqOYlnJN5XQcVWhw2GIsdadYH-PqxMCkhqty9PA9cLIIfrSuHLP8E1YO7sCt8aO3kvwccC8PB7bqAJl6Oyq-ujrP02gH1UkF6o3__QZVlio7cUhSXfJuaX9s3UeWkAr8m/s1600/Pepsi+-+Kids+on+Twitter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4nuzLcLgwxaYAqOYlnJN5XQcVWhw2GIsdadYH-PqxMCkhqty9PA9cLIIfrSuHLP8E1YO7sCt8aO3kvwccC8PB7bqAJl6Oyq-ujrP02gH1UkF6o3__QZVlio7cUhSXfJuaX9s3UeWkAr8m/s320/Pepsi+-+Kids+on+Twitter.jpg" width="270" /></a><br /><br /><br />So this makes me wonder, is Pepsi trying to win back the hearts of mawaleed el 70s and 80s (who are probably twice as old as the core target audience), where the scene was much less cluttered and Pepsi dominated the communication game? Or is it just a one off and we're back to the Nikki Minaj copy (elli ana personally lessa ma3rafsh heya meen aw beteshtaghal eh).. Fahhemoona bas w e7na m3ako</li>
<li>So after all the journey, w el fanoos, w el truck, w el sellem... Khado mel wad Tarek el makana el Amici om 15 alf gneh w eddolo taba2 konafa b 50 gneh w rawwa7 gary... just cz he met 3ammo Fouad? <br />If you ask me, its a cheap price to pay to stand toe-to-toe with the greatest comedian of all time.</li>
</ol>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
To sum this up, i'll put my critical/over-analytical hat aside and still go with my gut feeling and initial reaction upon seeing this.. Its a great copy that brings back lots of memories, an ad that drew more than just a smile on my face (probably a dropped jaw with some tears too) and I'd definitely love to see it over and over again..</div>
<br />
It didnt score well with everyone though.. Some people think its a hollow idea with massive funds of production, but that will always be the case... Some ppl love u, some poeple dont.. below are samples of both poles..<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGJqdFGfDkv-q9Mg6KfIgqgSQI46f2kLhyphenhyphen8a-r5jbPWJygvNfTYd1hrPo1F8qfNhbmQfOhbQK6bLr5UW7LAvUNLrqT29w6clr_rrnkBbkvcJfqKAnEjBZNUhJJz5mzsoCLEIWzu7l6titN/s1600/pepsi+opinion2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGJqdFGfDkv-q9Mg6KfIgqgSQI46f2kLhyphenhyphen8a-r5jbPWJygvNfTYd1hrPo1F8qfNhbmQfOhbQK6bLr5UW7LAvUNLrqT29w6clr_rrnkBbkvcJfqKAnEjBZNUhJJz5mzsoCLEIWzu7l6titN/s640/pepsi+opinion2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Love the ad or hate it; Pepsi has always been an advertising giant, so please stay this way... don't fade away as you did the past couple of years.. This raises the bar high, very high so make sure you're up to it in ads to come!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>Grade: Can't give anything with Fouad El Mohandes in it anything less than an A... Thank you Pepsi</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Uff... that was hectic.. I think I should stop the post here.. But there are still some ads to look into.. So I'll take on 7agat khafeefa hena then keep the rest for a future post.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>Mountain View:</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/3and8X1tlJU" width="420"></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/UcW4KnaKxIo" width="560"></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/eHXGt6IB7Vo" width="420"></iframe></div>
<br />
An OK set of ads, that will get you to talk about it once with your friends, maybe, then gone and forgotten.. Overly exaggerated but gets the message across..<br />
I just LOVE the barbecue copy... Stereotypical as hell.. but still very funny.. gets to me everytime.. Batt eh ya 3am, ba2ollak tarb.. haha<br />
<br />
<b>Grade: B</b><br />
<br />
I already gave my feedback about the below campaigns in the previous post (check it our <a href="http://3omdaz.blogspot.com/2013/07/ramadan-2013-post-1-where-are-my-dam-ads.html" target="_blank">here</a>), the below copies are just an extension of the same campaign; for your reference if you haven't seen them yet.<br />
<br />
<b>Labanita:</b><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/vJOxHWnNyMk" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
<b>Birell:</b><br />
<br />
<b>Aquarius:</b><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/phuvAaNGBEw" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
<b>Libra:</b><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/vzoLly6eDdA" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
<b>Sagittarius:</b><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/3QTzPHjdNIw" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
Anyhow, Pepsi's ad was the main theme of today... So I don't want to steal from its thunder much, nor make the post too long.. So i'll leave you in peace now and I'll see you next time..<br />
<br />
One thing before I close this one off.. I write because I enjoy it, but I could have kept it to myself.. I post my writings however because apparently you guys enjoy reading them. I got around 1000 hits on the first article this year, in 48 hours (a number I got in the whole month of Ramadan in 2010), so I'd like to thank each and every one of you for coming over and reading my scribbles here.. Truly humbled and flattered!<br />
For any questions or further debates, hashtag #3omdazblog or just mention @3omdaz.. I'll be happy to answer :)<br />
<br />
One important thank you goes out to my good friend, Medhat Amin.. The whole blog thing was his idea in the first place :)<br />
<br />
Stay tuned..<br />
Cheerio<br />
3omdaz</div>
3omdazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13045877177885294623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5320040490750843967.post-84428548951443561932013-07-13T15:36:00.000+02:002013-07-14T11:30:33.731+02:00Ramadan 2013 - Post 1 - Where are my dam ads??<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Hello friends,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 13.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
It's Ramadan again, been a while since we've seen eachother.. hope everyone's
keeping well amidst all the action we're living these days..<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I don't see a need for a Ramadan drama series while we're living
in one everyday... anyhow, I won't dwell into politics now, I'll just stick to
what I know and what you're here to read.. ads critiques..<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">When talking about Ramadan ads this year, one can't help but
ask, where are the dam ads?? With the 4th day of Ramadan kicking in now, we've
only seen 5 brands on TV.. these are the ones we'll be tackling this time..<br />
Back in the day, the first few days of Ramadan comprised a parade of the best
creative work of the year, ppl wait for and evaluate the ads as much as they
wait for the Ramadan content itself (Serials, Programs...etc)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This year is different though, only few brands are on air for
now.. Just to give you some perspective on whats going on behind closed doors
of ad and media agencies, and advertising clients conference rooms these days..
below are the reasons why:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>1. Too much to choose from:</b> </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">With the media fragmentation in the market now, 30+ serials,
20+ entertainment programs and a plethora of religious programs on around 15-20
channels.. the advertisers themselves are confused, which channels to air on,
will the Nour El Sherif serial be hit or fail? Are people still watching Yossra
or is Amir Karara and co stealing the spotlight from the older generation.. so
advertisers are actually quite reluctant where to spend their (believe it or
not) limited money.. so what they do is take a step back for the first couple
of days, do a screening and filtration process, a bit of quantitative and
qualitative research of who's watching what.. then decide on which baskets
they'll place their eggs this year.<br /><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">2. Market inflation:</span></b></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">There has been a horrific inflation in advertising rates of Ramadan, as in
HORRIFIC.. ya3ni elli kan b 100 el sana eli fatet, el sana di b2a b 250.. so if
u had budgeted ur advertising plans at 5 Million EGP.. now you need around 12
Million.. which is a drastic jump.. so what people have done is either succumb
and just pay whatever the price tag says (and probably run out of budget by
Ramadan 10th).. or wait and further negotiate with the media owners that el rates di "mesh 7atakol" bel baladi keda.. This puts decent pressure on the media suppliers who will
not be able to sustain empty air time for a long time, thus drop their rates and we see more of advertising.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">3. Cautious Silence:</span></b></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">A friend asked a very good question yesterday, where the hell are the
telecom operator ads? Its a first that we dont see a Vodafone or Mobinil ad on the first day
of Ramadan. I'm not sure why either but probably everyone is cautiously
anticipating the rise of TE (Telecom Egypt), the 4th Mobile Carrier due to
launch now.. maybe a restriction from the NTRA (National Telecom Regulatory
Authority)?? we'll see..</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This can still apply to other categories as well.. Where head-to-head competitors who cautiously await when their competition will strike so they can retaliate.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Enough literature w raghy 3al fady.. lets look at the ads..<br /><u>
Disclaimer bas saree3</u>.. friends and colleagues.. This is a personal opinion, no
hard feelings.. You know how much I respect you and your work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">One last thing before I start: </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In our journey in life, we meet, love and lose people along the way.. I would like to dedicate this post to Ihab Hazem; aka Bob (Creative Director at FP7), who passed around a month ago.. Although I don't know you personally, but your contribution to the business and how inspirational you were to those around you is definitely remarkable.. Rest In Peace..</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">OK... here we go:</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>1. CocaCola.. Leih<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>la2<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Uxd0GKUoSN4" width="560"></iframe></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So Coke is the first to advertise this year.. as usual punctual
and leading the game.. with a </span>redundant<span style="font-family: inherit;"> message unfortunately.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The ad in its essence
is not bad, unity and togetherness are all noble values that we as Egyptians
seemed to have forgotten and should be reminded of.. But the fact that it
comes after a series of ads that more or less look and sound the same make people feel "Yeah, there goes another Coke ad".. The tie up with CairoKee
and Aida El Ayoubi was quite nice the first couple of times.. now it got a bit
boring honestly.. although the girl in this one is not Aida, a young lady called Nesma I believe (who more or less sounds like Aida).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Plus given the relatively uncluttered ad break (so far), we see the ad
a LOT.. let alone it being a redundant ad.. I'm sure people will get sick of it by
first week of Ramadan.. except if they're smart enough to kick in tactical
copies stemming out from the principle ad.. we'll have to wait and see..<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Grade: B- (so far at least)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>2. Birell:<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b>Taurus:</b></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/tnmqnTvmaQE" width="560"></iframe></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b>Cancer:</b></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/bzjXbmKKHuo" width="560"></iframe></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b>Aries:</b></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/TFCYAiFj_7U" width="560"></iframe></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b>Gemini:</b></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/TdgJaqWn6l4" width="560"></iframe></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">As usual, the one-campaign-a-year brand comes back with a
memorable campaign as they always do.. this time with major production
budgets that enabled them to shoot 12 different copies to air throughout the month.. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cornering your brand in one communication platform can be quite challenging
because Birell has been saying "Manhood" for the past 5-6 years
minimum and there hasn't been much left to say.. But our friends at KTP (King Tut Playground) always find a way back and they come back BIG... 12 copies showcasing 12 different characters of different horoscopes... We have seen just 4 of which so far, but i'm sure the rest will follow..</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
A smart story line tackling the same party from 12 different POVs and I love how they always add their contribution to the daily slang... They've been saying Estargel for so long it became boring, now they changed it to Estazkar... A word that I'm sure people will start using on the street very soon..</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Love what I've seen so far.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Grade: A-</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Pepsi:</b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/qyqexxeP_O4" width="560"></iframe></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
I'm not sure exactly what to make out of this one, its not even an ad.. But what it seems is that someone's cooking something.. something BIG..</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
Pepsi and Chipsy joining forces means it is something that none of them could carry on their own, which is even scarier because we're talking about the biggest 2 advertisers in the country.. </div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
Just connecting some dots, Chipsy and Pepsi, together, on the biggest TV channels in the Arab World, Nekammel lammetna... Nostalgia.... hmmm..... I heard some word about Fouad El Mohandes, Nelly & Sherihan... Did anyone say Fawazeer?</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
Stay tuned... It reveals tomorrow :)</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b>Grade: lessa shwaya</b></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b>Labanita:</b></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ImXdDAHZr3g" width="560"></iframe></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
Talk about a revamp... haha..</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
KTP comes back again with a brilliant copy.. A milk producer that has been there for the past God-knows-how-long, a boring pack and a more or less similar offering to anything else on the market.. </div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
What better than to blow it up completely and defame its heros.. </div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
For years, Soad and Sawsan have been the face of the brand.. Now it seems they've turned bad it was time to let them go... in style</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
Also love the closing line there: Kefaya Ba2ar Ba2a... Political insinuation... anyone? :) Makes me even like it more now..</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b>Grade: A</b></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b>Maxibon:</b></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Y-f6aefkpEk" width="560"></iframe></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
Never liked the old one, this one doesn't change my opinion much honestly.. </div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
I'm not sure how to justify my judgement there... I just dont like it..</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
I believe they raised the bar so high after last year's copy, they got trapped in how to take it further.. and this copy was the outcome..</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
Bad.. just bad</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b>Grade: C</b></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
That's pretty much if for this time.. Grades might change as more copies of the same campaign unfold..</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
Hopefully next time we meet we can have some more ads and content to discuss.</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
Adios,</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
3omdaz</div>
</div>
3omdazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13045877177885294623noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5320040490750843967.post-21056060910286447692012-08-08T10:47:00.001+02:002012-08-08T10:47:35.246+02:00Special Report on AdIndustry in Post Revolution Egypt<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtnIrosUyCd1NUDqSgO-6ooFbB8wmHKTtEvs7T5StA5L7RQhVrtdRX2xXJS43hbGTJrFCfTUpGt89B5HRmI1ti2urhMvFft4_Zneo550R8QdSh6hhlnxo7WQCzlx_eUoQh2MuiooLBQqtZ/s1600/28-CLV_27-Egypt-page-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" kda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtnIrosUyCd1NUDqSgO-6ooFbB8wmHKTtEvs7T5StA5L7RQhVrtdRX2xXJS43hbGTJrFCfTUpGt89B5HRmI1ti2urhMvFft4_Zneo550R8QdSh6hhlnxo7WQCzlx_eUoQh2MuiooLBQqtZ/s640/28-CLV_27-Egypt-page-001.jpg" width="464" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE_IcBWJuKLfASf-dmx7uIKlNaZwK5wGH8bnqSdtR3kYtSLjbMV4Cd_i8xy04sLtTx-TRDtaHvV7K0LfMC19Eajtp1jS4Kt9VDdpZw7qkZh6o2rKtoPrpbaf4dNF5pGDkY608Hl0GCwUDl/s1600/28-CLV_27-Egypt-page-002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" kda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE_IcBWJuKLfASf-dmx7uIKlNaZwK5wGH8bnqSdtR3kYtSLjbMV4Cd_i8xy04sLtTx-TRDtaHvV7K0LfMC19Eajtp1jS4Kt9VDdpZw7qkZh6o2rKtoPrpbaf4dNF5pGDkY608Hl0GCwUDl/s640/28-CLV_27-Egypt-page-002.jpg" width="465" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpnsU4QN0mTdMDtV-vguqsPV83uAFeohyZLR5VMc164kdi9Gc0bSeZjlw1EeXogRV0SbffnXurfMzcutZPP7qiJzf299VtfwWSPqwi0Tqq81F0XiFY-rSuqWaGsCejtV278V-Z80skKkJx/s1600/28-CLV_27-Egypt-page-003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" kda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpnsU4QN0mTdMDtV-vguqsPV83uAFeohyZLR5VMc164kdi9Gc0bSeZjlw1EeXogRV0SbffnXurfMzcutZPP7qiJzf299VtfwWSPqwi0Tqq81F0XiFY-rSuqWaGsCejtV278V-Z80skKkJx/s640/28-CLV_27-Egypt-page-003.jpg" width="464" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh524S4d4Mw4UuRnPMFlZB1Q2dUSVN2KDM9gFFsqJI85wzIc5JWshiI9bdpEl7kPRLy7XExnNdw5VhvCUvD-ZUjCSdZ0CJ5xHXuKDvtNgCSusxE003nxldw8UyNr6bJn8gogpGIZ49vVP49/s1600/28-CLV_27-Egypt-page-004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" kda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh524S4d4Mw4UuRnPMFlZB1Q2dUSVN2KDM9gFFsqJI85wzIc5JWshiI9bdpEl7kPRLy7XExnNdw5VhvCUvD-ZUjCSdZ0CJ5xHXuKDvtNgCSusxE003nxldw8UyNr6bJn8gogpGIZ49vVP49/s640/28-CLV_27-Egypt-page-004.jpg" width="464" /></a></div>
</div>3omdazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13045877177885294623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5320040490750843967.post-89751878380631202152012-07-24T17:11:00.000+02:002012-07-24T17:11:28.334+02:00Ramadan 2012 - Post 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Hello friends,</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Now we're a good 5 days into Ramadan, more copies have been released and more ads for us to nibble on..</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Voila..</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>Etisalat:</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/YpT7ypOG2FQ" width="420"></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/sJBulvv5LAE" width="420"></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;">Ever-since the</span> Mobile Number Portability (MNP) agreement was kicked into action in April 2008 (changing ur mobile operator without changing your number), Etisalat have been playing this game heavily (being the newest player in an already mature & saturated market; they had to) they wanted to get the benefit of having a higher subscriber's base.. Playing every trick in the book to make people switch sides (churn as the telco industry calls it). B<span style="background-color: white;">ut they've been doing it in a discreet hush-hush manner with real incentives for the user;</span><span style="background-color: white;"> they slashed minute rates, gave you extra minutes on your normal card value, bundled scratch card minutes and USB modem in one package, they even created a whole reward program (</span><a href="http://fawzy.com/" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank">Fawzy.com</a><span style="background-color: white;">) just for people to get hitched.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Now they've waged war officially with this campaign; a set of copies that serves as a cheat-sheet on the different ways you can "break-up" with your mobile operator..</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In case this didn't happen with you; Etisalat are now calling people on their mobiles; asking them to jump ships onto their network in exchange of: </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Keeping your number as is</li>
<li>Keeping the same benefits you're already enjoying with your current operator</li>
<li>Giving you a near 50% off on your monthly bill, for a period ranging between 6 months and 2 years</li>
</ul>
<div>
The above happened with my wife & I, wana 3shan aseel w akhla2i 3alya, took this offer to my current operator w laweit dra3hom as one of their "valued" customers is on the verge of leaving and got the same offer from them without the hassle of changing operators... haha..</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Anyway, that's not the point.. back to the ad.. So here we see a stop-motion animation of a guy "breaking up" with his operator and the different ways of doing so..</div>
<div>
I'll just stop and ponder a bit about the production, stop-motion is usually used for low budget purposes (e3lan me7tag yetla3 3al saree3 w b floos 2olayyela), and from my humble knowledge Etisalat is one of the top 5 spenders in the country so I dont think that a proper copy production would have been a major ta3weera for their pockets.. so I would assume that the stop motion here is actually intended, to give the copy the light humorous feeling it should convey.. which worked actually..</div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white;">I like the ad, funny and to the point.. not their best of ads though..</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Grade: B</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>Mobinil:</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-ZFaIdDXV64" style="background-color: white;" width="560"></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/r6OVHxkp3LI" width="560"></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Well, regardless of how great or ungreat this ad might be, this is an excellent CSR campaign and the beauty of it is that intrigues viewers into it year after year.. I just LOVE ads that take you on a journey, even if it is a long journey. If the destination is worth it; you'll still remember every step of the way.. Just like Pepsi launched "دوري بيبسي للمدارس" to scout for U-16 hidden talents 10 years ago, now these kids are en-route to represent Egypt in the London Olympics with half of the team being brought up from the Pepsi scouting Program... That is how you build a long term <span style="background-color: white;">commitment </span><span style="background-color: white;">with the </span><span style="background-color: white;">society</span><span style="background-color: white;"> and its consumers (not a hit and run campaign, something that is actually sustainable, tested and proven successful).</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;">So Mobinil announced the campaign a couple of years ago that they're launching an initiative to employ 200,000 hands (100,000 jobs).. The above ads just serve as a flag, a reminder, making a statement that "HEY, we did it, and here's a sample"..</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Both figures they've portrayed in the copies show that finding a job isn't impossible afterall; if you have the right drive and motivation.. It is even harder for these 2 models because each has his own hurdle to cross, more than any average jobseeker out there... but they did it!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Hopefully desperate & hopeless jobseekers would find inspiration in these fine gentlemen and be as self-drive as they were.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Grade: A+ for the initiative, B for the copy</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>Universal:</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZPfLCP_cO6Q" width="560"></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Its been a while since we've seen a decent jingle/choreography ad.. a one that you'd actually want to see again.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Nothing super special about the idea or the setting.. nor the music honestly (its just a fusion of a couple of 90s hits)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The ad is just an example of little things done right.. So the music, the choreography, the colors.. just give you an overall feeling of lightheartedness.. <span style="background-color: white;">Wish Coca-Cola had seen this before they did their "happiness" ad..</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;">Now THIS is a happy ad..</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Grade: B+</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b style="background-color: white;">Maxibon:</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2xREqaCVXjw" style="background-color: white;" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
OK, so for the past 5 days, I've been thinking about this ad and what to make out of it..<br />
I doubt there's someone who watches TV in Egypt who hasn't seen, heard or spoken about this ad.. A<span style="background-color: white;">ttitudes towards this ad are world's apart. So either you'll find people who LOVE it or people who just hate every single thing about it.. I doubt you'll find someone with neutral sentiments.</span><br />
<br />
I belong to the second group here, I loate the ad... I detest every single thing about it..<br />
Quite honestly, I don't see how this ad links to ANYTHING, anything at all that has to do with advertising.. how is this ad building up a case to engage consumers or invite them to try the brand; 3shan yaklo so7abhom ba3d kda?<br />
Secondly, the idea is not unique at all (to the brand or the category).. If I remove the name Maxibon and put Chipsico, Tiger, Todo, Kalbaz, Mo2men's new sandwich, Gold's Gym, Kia Cerato.......... you name it... any other brand would fit here, so it doesn't even touch upon icecream in the ad, thus dropping on affinity.<br />
<br />
What even makes me more confused are the below 2 points:<br />
<br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="background-color: white;">The makers of the ad are actually two quite brilliant gentlemen: with video blogger Tameem Youness (of </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=popClLKBWFQ" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank">Rasseeni</a><span style="background-color: white;">) as the Creative Director behind it and directed by world famous Ali Ali (known for his </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hElms3Jk1Ls" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank">Panda</a><span style="background-color: white;"> campaign - which won numerous worldwide awards including a Cannes Lion).. So I don't quite see how such an ad slipped both... Either that or something is wrong with me and the ad is saying something I'm not seeing (maybe the brief was directed at a specific target audience that we don't belong nor relate to).. But if it is, then why is the icecream priced at 5 LE a piece.. Now the people you're trying to reach here are already <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=386641341388951&set=a.205258262860594.60972.203397706379983&type=1&theater" target="_blank">complaining </a>about it... Wa2taha then ur problem is with the brief which said you should speak in such a tone to people who won't afford your product.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">I was shocked to see that this ad actually belongs to Nestle, a Swiss brand that is perceived as gourmet and upclass.. I would have expected such an ad to come from these small time snack companies that shine in the spotlight for 10 seconds just to grab attention then disappear (Tiger, Al Hassan Wal Hussein Luncheon... even Dayem), but not Nestle. </span><span style="background-color: white;">Even if the target talks and behaves this way, as a brand you shouldn't behave as such, because you have a lot of history to protect (vs Dice Underwear; which had every right to speak in such a tone, because their brand image allows that.. Check the detailed casestudy <a href="http://3omdaz.blogspot.com/2012/03/casestudy-of-egyptian-shockvertising.html" target="_blank">here</a>)</span></li>
</ol>
<div>
The way I see this ad, is it that had "<span style="color: red;"><b>AWARDS</b></span>" in Neon lights before the creators' eyes, so it is made for that purpose, to win awards for the agency and raise its profile, regardless of how that will affect that brand or reflect on its performance KPIs.. And the end of the day, the client is probably happy because they did an ad that everyone's talking about (bel kwayes aw bel we7esh), unaware that this could be a nail in their brand's casket (مسمار في نعشه... ترجمه حرفية).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Kol eli fo2 da is just me talking... Now, in the interest of fairness, the ad does have a LOT of groundbase and did score excellent with a lot of people (including A LOT in our SEC class).</div>
<div>
An ad that automatically infiltrates itself into popular culture is automatically a successful ad.. and this one didn't fall short in that.. </div>
<div>
Tab3an el sha3b el masry mabeysebsh 7aga t3addi, with massive creativity and some modest photoshop skills.. So the next day this ad aired, there were 3 different knock-offs of this ad pertaining to different topics of Egyptian current affairs (mostly sports and politics).</div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQoMbev_Rb2abuzmic27IvkNKM5V8eUntepRK0v4XW5OYwnggA499HruByBnTEy1G5Ol9lOKowamSFxZr4or9N3sZ7SYjsEupYHONLPUKE4pp2Ve1aLViqrGyimfUU2Zzj7S2FcXEo8Kpo/s1600/208986_10151925408400214_341644543_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQoMbev_Rb2abuzmic27IvkNKM5V8eUntepRK0v4XW5OYwnggA499HruByBnTEy1G5Ol9lOKowamSFxZr4or9N3sZ7SYjsEupYHONLPUKE4pp2Ve1aLViqrGyimfUU2Zzj7S2FcXEo8Kpo/s400/208986_10151925408400214_341644543_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Political reactions</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0fdxZXohRS2Wx1qyALiVWvjudn8ocLOCKTYmkvbUTPalcneF6R3p-Zz96MAJUhuIn6ibogjYnyS7xtxf3-WjZZ-fjQh6Ek5HQVZUYoHcjI3THCKbCnYgAwJFzUE3ScDijoF11xH3suaxu/s1600/539242_10151076862117497_1275547609_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0fdxZXohRS2Wx1qyALiVWvjudn8ocLOCKTYmkvbUTPalcneF6R3p-Zz96MAJUhuIn6ibogjYnyS7xtxf3-WjZZ-fjQh6Ek5HQVZUYoHcjI3THCKbCnYgAwJFzUE3ScDijoF11xH3suaxu/s400/539242_10151076862117497_1275547609_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sports Reactions<br />
Karim Hassan Shehata to Abou Treika after Zamalek's defeat in CAF Champions League</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Another sports reaction:<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/JxnqXoZwf20" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
To cut a long story short, t<span style="background-color: white;">he way I see it, the ad worked beautifully with a lot of people, it just didn't crack it </span><span style="background-color: white;">with me... at all!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
Grade: Wallahi me7tar, bas i'll go with my initial feeling and give it a D<br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
That's all for now<br />
Cheerio<br />
3omdaz</div>3omdazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13045877177885294623noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5320040490750843967.post-28133448493450501052012-07-22T15:02:00.001+02:002012-07-22T15:46:53.280+02:00Ramadan 2012 - Inaugural post<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hello friends,<br />
Kol sana wento tayyebeen...<br />
<br />
Another Ramadan comes along, with more than 60 TV series and 20+ programs, costing around 1.7 Billion EGP.. But that cost doesn't just go in vain, there should be some decent dollars spent behind that on advertising to cover up for all the production costs.. and of course, for our viewing pleasures :)<br />
<br />
Disclaimer before I start: Uptil now, I haven't seen one ad that left me with my jaw dropped.. Nothing with major production budgets and celebrity endorsements (such as <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDPM_sO7vrM" target="_blank">Etisalat 2010</a>)..<br />
The revolution's economic aftermath is definitely a major factor after advertising budgets have been slashed from last year to this one.<br />
With that said, the grading will be a bit downscaled because f<span style="background-color: white;">rom what I've seen so far,</span><span style="background-color: white;"> nothing deserves an A or A+.</span><br />
<br />
Yalla beena, lets kick off Ramadan 2012...<br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<b>Vodafone:</b><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/SQn9hIuEkgY" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
<b>1. Olympic Football Squad Copy:</b><br />
<br />
I first saw this on mute, on a mobile phone with a friend... and boy, I was furious...<br />
Being a fan of original work, I really take copied work with a giant pinch of salt... Might be overreacting but I actually feel offended and rediculed that the brand didn't do the effort to come up with something new or copied some int'l copy and thought that no one else in the world saw the int'l ad except them..<br />
I felt the same sentiments towards this, as I thought it was a carboncopy of Nike's <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBZtHAVvslQ" target="_blank">Write The Future</a> campaign, launched before World Cup 2010.<br />
<br />
So I went back, searched for the ad on Youtube and awaiting to unleash hell in my critique.. then I saw the ad, and all these emotions diffused!<br />
<br />
Turns out that the ad is pretty well thought actually.. A whole new concept all together, that puts aside all the fans, supporters and patriotic slogans aside.. This one actually talks to the haters, the sceptics and the ones who always drag someone down. The ad is skinned to the nitty-gritty details of the football industry.. an industry that is regarded as.... well, lets just say that is it not too ideal.<br />
<br />
Copywriting here is excellent too, with each sentence having a solid & profound value that is relevant to being a football player.<br />
<br />
The use of one of the most popular icons in Egypt's Football History; Mahmoud El Khateeb (Bibo) definitely gives the ad some decent weight.<br />
<br />
In conclusion, I really like the ad.. Too bad I made an early judgement about it, but the copy was too strong to put me back on track..<br />
<br />
Grade: A-<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/LK46GBAYKYM" style="background-color: white;" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
2. Vodafone - El E3lan Baz:<br />
<br />
Its an extremely ordinary ad... Nothing super special there.. maybe just a hint of a smile in the last 2 seconds.<br />
But the fact that Samir Ghanem is there makes me automatically biased to it<br />
<br />
However, we can't only judge by 1 copy only, as it is obviously just the first of a series of TVCs adapting the same storyline... so lets see!<br />
<br />
Grade so far: B-<br />
<br />
<b>CocaCola:</b><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/8xU9hJmYF6Q" width="420"></iframe><br />
<br />
Another Happiness themed ad from CocaCola, I'm just not too sure how different my happiness levels have varied before and after seeing the ad... Its a very faint ad for the impact they aim to create..<br />
Especially that people are already in their lowest morale levels because of current country events, the ad should have been much stronger than just a pale circus-like setting, that didnt even leave me with a little smile, let alone feeling happy.<br />
It should have been much more festive, louder music, colors......etc<br />
<br />
The good thing here though is that although the copy is weak, is that they're turning this into a real proper integrated campaign, with a website to vote for the next visit of the happiness parade..<br />
<br />
Grade: C for this ad, lets wait for the rest of the campaign.<br />
<br />
<b>3. Pepsi:</b><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/6cydvSYX5E0" width="420"></iframe><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3RIHoN6cmp4" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
I'm not too sure what to make of this one.<br />
Lets just say that not everything with Donia Samir Ghanem in it would fly.<br />
<br />
Grade: C-<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>4. Birelle</b><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/90UY3ZLB0lo" width="420"></iframe><br />
<br />
Birelle was the first client to jump ships from Leo Burnett to KTP; King Tut's Playground (The new venture of ex Leo Burnett award winning creative director Mohamed Hamdallah). This is Birelle's first and KTP's second campaign after Etisalat's<a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/fawziegypt" target="_blank"> Fawzy.com</a>.<br />
Birelle aims to continue in its manhood platform for years to come now, and they still manage to do that through a witty idea that makes you laugh yet delivers on the intended message..<br />
Can't wait for the other copies in this campaign..<br />
<br />
Grade: A-<br />
<br />
<br />
These are key ones I've been seeing/hearing of lately...<br />
More to come as the rest unveil..<br />
<br />
Cheers<br />
3omdaz</div>3omdazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13045877177885294623noreply@blogger.com1