Kenny Sharf gets a commission in Jounieh!

I wish the title of this post was true! It is not... But, as I was going through the highway yesterday, I saw this beautiful (lego inspired? Sharf imitating?) sculpture. Which actually is not a scultpure at all, but the new Keyrouz Bakery chimney. But at least, they decided to do it in lively colors, adding a much needed colour to the highway... On the last image below is a work by Kenny Sharf in Portland, Oregon (which believe it or not was not too popular among the residents themselves, so much one of them posted on the work of art itself: This is not art this is a p***s).

Marie-Joe Rahme on women

This is a rather old campaign that Marie-Joe Rahme (who is a student at USEK) did for one of her projects centered around the erradication of violkence against women in the Arab world. It was adopted by KAFA and was postedon their facebook page even if frankly it deserved much more attention that that.
Marie-Joe plays on the Arabic grammar by using the word "damir" (which doubles as "pronoun" and "consicence") the word "fe3el" (which also means "subject" and "active"). So the whole sentence reads as "She: a free-thinking conscience, active in society, whose appreciation is a must"... Beats everything else I see in the market!

Aishti survival kit

Anyone accusing Aishti of being a snotty, snobish and outright rude to its own customers and to the society at large might reconsider its position. Its new campaign centers around humanitarian aid to people in need throughout the world. Pictured in the ad is a skinny woman (due to malnutrition) in some unknown territory, who has lost her home (presumably due to either a tsunami or to rebels setting fire in it) who has nothing but a kayak to live in and whose possessions have been scattered away (by a fierce cyclone).
But fear not! The Aishti survival kit is here and the woman is clutching to it! It is a yellow box filled with things that can save the woman's life. But the contents are so jealously guarded, we shall never know what they are unless we are a woman/man who are suffering from malnutrition and who lost their homes and are living in kayaks and whose possessions have been scattered by a fierce cyclone.
Beirut/NTSC has learned that as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme Aishiti is currently in talks with Medecins Sans Froneiteres, UNICEF and the Red Cross to spread their survival kit as far and wide was possible.

It takes two to FCUK.

French Connection UK (or FCUK for short) has a campaign running all over the Lebanese billboards "You are woman?" - I love the detour of the question instead of "are you woman?" - the way the headline is written implies much more "are you woman enough?"... And the visuals concentrate on women in dominating positions litteraly insulting men. The second visual, where women are on a balcony is a bit more interesting. One woman is whisting while the other is calling the man with her finger. What's interesting is the absence of the men which makes the ad more degrading....
The worst part is that they also sell a men's collection... Some of their t-shirts for this year read "Everyone's talking FCUK"... Including FCUK perhaps?

The city that never sleeps....

"It is their right for us to stand by them", with these words Caritas is engaging in its annual fundraising campaign... I still think that some of their older campaigns are much better, but what really attracted my attention was that this banner was actually on Doueihy sweets shop and - co-branded by the logo of Doueihy.
Finally some good news for those of us travelling abroad and for Lebanese mothers wishing to make a splash - ready to use mezze!... Stuffed vine leaves, etc, all of them done and ready and it's all provided by Gardenia (with won some award for that at some international exhibition, the ad reminds us).
Ghandour has three different campaigns running for three different chocolates, but they are so alike that I thought they were one campaign with three visuals! The headline focuses on "stuck on chocolate?" (or "stuck on fruits?" for the Tutti Frutti campaign). Considering I just blasted them for stealing "Tarboush" - I have to dig to see where the original chocolates come from!
Arze Chidiac, who co-presents LOL on Otv has now her own morning show on Radio Strike called "Kalem Neswen" (Or "women's talk"). I admit that I am the Lebanese genetic anomaly who has never watched LOL (I know what it is, I know what it does though) so judging by her speaking standards on LOL I can imagine the discussion that's going to go there ("So how good was the sex you had yesterday? And which positions did you practise?")....

Regardez-moi dans le facebook... J'ai dit le facebook!

A yes, so it was bound to happen - Beirut/NTSC is now on facebook... Please note that it is not I who is there, just the blog... Body Wotwat has helped me create an automatic uploading system there which will make you share whatever I write more readily and easily.... All while sparing me the visits there (for heaven's sake, I am not even the moderator of my own page!).... So there, enjoy! The best part about it was creating the icon... :)

Tarboush bayyak bi swisra!!!!

It was supposed to be our local invention, our pride an joy, our own racist slur (come on, "rass el 3abed" anyone?), then it was renamed Tarboush and rebranded... Now look at the original!!! Please welcome Perrier Chocolat... So even this is stolen! The good news is that Clementine, for once, had nothing to do with it (they have a solid alibi for the time of the crime)!

New banners as part of the revamped Beirut/NTSC image

After the new logo, the small promo videos on youtube, now comes two new banners in the line of the retro/kitsch visuals which I am adopting, these banners were reworked from old ads before computers stripped things from their orginality. Does anyone remember "vente reclame" as opposed to "seasonal sale"?... Does anyone remember when "video cassettes" were all the rage?...
Well, the banner above, which is directly linked to my youtube page reads "NTSC movies now available on video cassettes. Coying forbidden." and the second which links to the isuu.com page where I publish my books says "vente reclame now in Boutique Beirut/NTSC"... All while making them, the jingles that used to be played on Voix du Liban kept looping in my head... Gebran Metni, MaxiLara, and all these other shops that used to advertise as if there was no tomorrow....
Oh well, that's just me I suppose!
PS: Mustapha was right, banners were taking too much space from the visibility, so eventually the one that says "vente reclame" came to replace the upper header of the blog...

I shall not moderate my comments, I shall not moderate my comments, I shall not.....

Just today I got an email from Hala Moubarak who is behind "Je suis un cri" blog telling me she got this specific comment:

bteswe sermeye u and ur opinion! just fuck off and leave the man alone u all espece de cons! Cant beleive what kind of people u are! Kess ekhetkon ente w yalle metlikw metel tarek chmali, zbelet el 3alam!

It translates into: You are worth a shoe you and your opnion. Just fuck off and leave the man (in reference to Sami Saab) alone your idiots)! Cant beleive (two straight English mistakes back to back there) what kind of people u are! F*** your sister you and those who are like Tarek Chemaly (this is the correct spelling please take note!), the trash of the people!

So, is this how it's going to be played out?.... Under the belt and with dirty words?
Well, I love Hala's reply of not being intimidated. But what I can blame her is moderating her comments. We believe in free speech, some others do not. It is THEIR problem, not ours.
So this blog will remain unmoderated, it will continue to receive insulting comments, it will continue to denounce stolen ads, and NO do not hide behind your finger, there's nothing personal about it: I met Sami Saab at the entrance of ABC a couple of months ago, we chatted amicably and parted ways without any of us throwing a dagger to the back of the other.
People, just wake up. Some of us (this includes Hala Moubarak and myself) just won't shut up. Won't succumb to insults or anything of the like. Now GET OVER IT and act like decent human beings.

Crickets are here - not the insects!

When I saw this banner, I really, really did not get it... Then (insert light bulb) it dawned on me. Why would anyone be interested in, out of all games, cricket?... That's because Sri Lanka is co-hosting the world cup this year.... But what I love the most is the sponsoring - a spot on advertising from money transfering company MoneyGram....

When things get fishy.

Because it is lent, many fast food chains resort to promoting their fish-based meals (as many Christians fast while abstaining from chicken and red meat)... McDonald's was one of those this year who advertised "bit fish el khele2" - in Arabic the word fish means "there is no" or "release the pressure". McDonald's used the latter this year "it releases the pressure off your nerves" while Hardee's back in 2007 used the other one....

After Darine, now comes the toothpaste!

The brand protection group is on all fronts these days trying to indicate that "the closest things to you could be fake" - already Beirut/NTSC reviewed Darine Sabbagh's facebook debacle, and now come the billboards advertising "flashy yellowness" (for fake toothpastes) and "electrified hair" (for blow dryers)... And in between Kamil Kuran  (Managing Director, Levant Region at Leo Burnett) was there starting to present Kalam el Nass on LBC instead of Marcel Ghanem - again to emphasize that things/people you are familiar with or even one of TV's most known presenters could be a fake... Which, considering Ghanem's case, could actually be true, not fake.

When I grow up....

Do you remember those ubiquitous bumper stickers that were all the rage in the 80s? If you had a small car, invariably, you put "when I grow up I want to be a Rolls Royce" - the campaign for http://www.growmybusiness.me/ sort of rememinded me of it.... I am still hesitating between the below two answers. Anyone wishes to offer me career counseling?

Because every day is mothers' day...

Well, that's a lame excuse from my part to actually include two new ads for mothers' day... The first sees Nido powdered milk playing its trump card and going back to what - in the Arab region (and Lebanon specifically) - was its most succesful ad! The jingle "zikrayat iyam sa2idi" (memories of happy days, distant moments still close to the heart) became the hit of the year back then. And since the ad talked about graduation (and a mother remembering what led to that moment), invariably, whenever anyone wore a cap and gown, they remembered Nido....
Roadster diner kept this gem close to its heart by putting it only on its sous-plats.... "MOTHERboard - you don't need to know how gets things done. Just be thankful". Thankful we are!

Boumalez votre communication...

Research credit: Geoanna Hobeiche
So you never heard of Boumali? Pity! It's the best spoof ad agency in town... Their clients include Mosiba, So-let's (insert appropriate verb here), Home Shity, Moukarrez Jewelry and many other leading brands.... They do top notch ads, mostly by detouring older mediocre versions and make them more interesting and palattable. Oh... And they're recruiting! :) ... I can give you a recommendation letter is you wish!

Nul n'est prophete en son pays

Those of you going through Europe, specifically Slovenia, will find me participating in the Narave videofestival (details in the invite card) in Ljubjana. I shall be contributing two videos "Still lives and still lifes" and "Lucky the orphans for they get two gifts". Both, in line with the directives of the festival feature elements of nature. But they also talk about lives of objects once their owners have left them behind, supposedly to start a new life somewhere else.
Judith Talj, another Lebanese video artist will be participating (she is a graduate of USEK) with her breathtaking video "The 4th floor" - a haunting tale of places acting as recipients for memories and loves.
Now here's the catch: Why is it that since 2005 I have not been able to exhibit any new material in Lebanon when I was able to do so in the United States, Slovenia (twice, one of them for a major solo), Italy???
Which brings us back to the point: How is it that that since 2005 no new material has made is way to any official gallery outing here?... I can only be thankful for people like the Beirut Groove collective for displaying my video during their last party on a loop all night long. Only the underground scene seems to appreciate what I do!

The difference between STEALING and PAYING TRIBUTE

I just found the ad done by handless model Tanya Kiewitz online.... Sure, it imitates perfectly the ad by Wonderbra... But of course when Kiewitz says "look me in the eyes, I said the eyes" she is making a

point about accepting disability (as a matter of fact the ad was done for the Handicap Awereness Group CAP48.... The ad in question illustrates perfectly what I call an tribute or an hommage. And yes, believe it or not, it exists in the advertising industry. Ads imitating one another, because they are benefiting from the synergistic effects to draw attention to some issue, raise awareness about a civic campaign, etc...

Now, of course, the second ad selling Solet Tapis is merely theft!... Selling a product while pretending to have come up with the creative concept (when in fact it is stolen). An ad that does not aim to spread

awareness about any social issue, but merely aims to... to what?... Nevermind, it's just Clementine stealing again!



Ink on the side...

Sareen Akharjalian hits it on the head!... This is what I commented on her site: Very smart. Thanks for pointing out the issue…. I mean, really, as adverisers why do we bother advertise Ariel and Persil in Arabic?.. Let me recap: A mother takes care of the children emotionally and on the nutrition level, she picks kids up from the school bus, comforts them when in need, prepare deserts for them and their friends…. And is paid on average 100 Dollars a month….

Darine Sabbagh is just so.... fake! :)

Darine Sabbagh blogs about some social media using social media to raise the awareness about social media. Sort of!  But it's brilliant! Totally so! As far as I know it is the work of Leo Burnett PR arm... Unless I am mistaken!

Clementine steals again

Research credit: Miled Issa
Not happy to have been pointed out as thieves before (check the Nina Ricci debacle), Clementine go there stealing again. Note to anyone trying to steal in the Lebanese market: There's internet these days, there are people who have archives, so please don't think you can get away with it!

Welcome to... Gemmayze!

Beirut/NTSC got the grand tour of one of the most sumptuous residences in Gemmayze... The pubs and clubs were directly beneath, but this is the "other" Gemmayze no one bothers to know or learn about. Sure, not anyone can enter those buildings, but the lush of greenery and the marvelous architecture does not need a permit to watch. It's a pity everyone keeps missing on these!!!