24 hours electricity supply in Lebanon!!!

Last June, the Lebanese Cabinet approved the electricity plan that was proposed by the Energy Minister which aims at ending electricity shortages by 2014. The plan calls for utilizing natural gas instead of fuel oil and for using renewable energy resources. Finally!
The Ministry of Energy commissioned a “privileged” advertising agency to launch a campaign (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLBRQMsCU84). The campaign was executed by an ex-colleague of mine who I highly value his work. I would assume that the campaign had many objectives: raising awareness, giving hope to the Lebanese people by mentioning that 24 hours electricity supply will resume, and it indirectly aims at raising the necessary funds for the plan’s implementation.
Now a reality check: This summer Lebanon is probably witnessing the worst electricity shortages in recent years. Some regions are enjoying a maximum of two hours supply.
How effective was the campaign in meeting the desired objectives? Did it tell the people that the funds haven’t been secured yet? The campaign didn’t even mention that the plan might end the shortages in four years!! And what about an interim plan until we reach implementation stage (if ever the original plan materializes)?
I would say that the campaign is only able to cater to certain egos and beating on the chest of the current “Ministry of Energy,….. and all energies” in addition to a certain popular political movement.
A learning lesson in communication, if you want to achieve your communication objectives and be credible, you have to be fully transparent or else your campaign will eventually have a negative impact.

TVC: Lebanon Mine Action. How effective?

I watched recently the Lebanon Mine Action TVC (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=677ALNqYVC4) .

I perfectly understand the intention behind such execution in an attempt to grab the attention (and am sure it is delivering on that, and many viewers are liking the commercial), but why take the risk and go till the end of the commercial with the same misleading tone of voice and using terms such as “toy”, “very special” and “limited quantity” given that the primary target audience are villagers and kids! The call for action, which is the objective behind the commercial, came very weak where possibly many viewers might have missed it. I think it could have been much more effective simply by creating a mixed mood of both confidence and uneasiness at the same time through the script plus having a powerful call for action at the end.

So my question is: does it resonate with the primary target audience?

Non-Secular Brands!

On April 25th, my family and I took part in the Secular Pride March. Lebanese demonstrators were calling for a Secular state. Many of the marchers tended to be students from elite universities and members of left inclined NGOs. Demand for Secularism is not mainstream in a country where politics, communities, and families are defined by religion.
True that the participants didn’t represent the critical mass, but I was somehow surprised (even disappointed) at the absence of any “supporting” brand at the March (not even bottled water to quench our thirst). Is the lack of enthusiasm from Lebanese brands towards such a demand due to the fact that these brands are monopolized by families and therefore dominated by religion?

Wake up call

I believe that ad agencies will have to evolve if they intend to survive both the frustration clients undergo during the work relationship and the threats of the economic crisis. Such frustration is caused by many ad agencies over promising when pitching for an account claiming to be the marketing arm of the client, but fall short during the actual delivery while servicing the budget. Ad agencies need to make serious efforts in truly comprehending their clients’ external and internal business and work dynamics and not just understanding and monitoring the market and its forces.
In such difficult times ad agencies have to preempt the fact that their clients are at many times forced to alter tracks.
If they don’t undergo quick evolution, then the damaging effects on the whole industry could be permanent.

Quality of ads in Lebanon

Lebanon is witnessing a drastic decline in the quality of ads recently, in a country that is considered the creative hub of the Arab world. Many Lebanese talents across the region hold leading positions in international agencies and their creative work has certainly shaped and impacted the communication scene in the Arab world earning considerable recognition. For many regional clients, they prefer to work with their agency’s office in Beirut instead the one in their country to get the best outcome. However, those same clients are recently being the harshest critics of the quality of the ads they are seeing in the Lebanese market across all media channels.
I think one of the main reasons behind such a decline is caused by the global economic crisis. Heads of agencies just want to smoothly navigate through turbulent times compromising on quality instructing their teams to settle for less. But me being a victim, I say that is indeed harmful to my taste and intellect.

What is the Essence?

True am not the primary target audience, but I could not but notice the awkward TVCs (to say the least) of Herbal Essences’ shampoo. I’m not able to comprehend their communication strategy, thus unable to decipher the product’s positioning (apparently the line after checking the web site is The Great Escape!). Conducting “domestic” dipstick survey amongst women, they seem to share the same feeling. One thing to their credit though, the brand is certainly being consistent in the chaotic/all over the place style of the recent TVCs.

Mind Your Language

Few years ago, I was attending a prestigious ceremony and gala dinner to recognize the finest marketing achievements in the UAE held by a leading regional marketing magazine.

The evening flowed almost impeccably, except for minor technical hiccups during the distribution of awards. This smooth flow was expected for after all, this was a prestigious event mainly sponsored by two prestigious brands; BBC and Cadillac.

This event was held in Dubai, the regional hub and pulse of businesses, the same city that is so excepting and tolerant towards all cultures. Therefore, serving alcoholic beverages wouldn’t be an issue in the sense of imposing a practice, but rather a matter of choice depending on ones background and conviction. You can either choose not to attend, or attend and not drink, or you can enjoy drinking sensibly.

Evening is over, many are happy and time to go home, so here comes the “goodie bag” that was handed out to all attendees. We all know “the goodie bag”; the perfect “direct marketing tool” for product sampling for the perfect captive audience who have many similarities and also differences.

No one is against the all-lovable goodie bag of course, but did it make good marketing sense to enclose an application for a liquor license in the UAE inside it?!!!

The poor popular GB was used as a vehicle for the most arrogant and ignorant assumption that all recipients will be ecstatic about such a “gift".

To many attendees, this “stunt” was the most insulting and offending generalization that could be made.

The irony in this stupendous neglect of cultural sensitivities ABCs is that it took place in an event rewarding outstanding marketing practices!