Just a few days before Ramadan the posts on social media change tune. “I forgive everyone and Hope that everyone will forgive me too.” “I apologize in case I hurt anyone unintentionally without realizing or knowing what I am doing.” Many soft hearted posts like these bombard Facebook walls every year prior to the holy month reflecting the very forgiving spirit of the Holy Month.
Surprisingly, such graceful spirit is lost on the very first day of Ramadan right after the Maghreb prayers as soon as people start to watch TV. With the first episode of a TV series, with the first ad being aired wishing people a Happy Ramadan. People turn into harsh and brutally unforgiving critics of each and every moving object on the screen.
Thought these criticizing eyes used to scorch TV series in particular they turned 90% of their attention to TV ads.
Maybe because there are far more TV series on too many channels to handle while TV ads fall in your lap every time you glimpse the screen, it became easier to clamp jaws on TV ads vise a vie local and international brands.
Or else…brands have gone deeper in our thoughts and closer to our lives than we ever thought it would. That is a huge success to all I must say, but as we all know with great success comes great responsibility.
And unfortunately and inevitably not all brand were up to it.
Most brands played the same strings of advertising mode: nostalgic or provocative. While a few smart ones played on inspirational. A choice I personally respect, hats up for Coca-Cola and Schweppes.
Pepsi
Oh Pepsi what have you done?! You did a great job wasting your effort. In comparison to last year… it is the same ad, same storyboard with minor changes, same creative concept, and same emotional message; same everything the only thing you have added was more holograms and a cheap effort of playing emotional string when Ahmed Zaki met his son.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFv7Eov5A9g
To prove my point remove Ahmed Zaki from the ad and the ad is nothing more than the same of last year’s. The ad is such a disappointment after all the effort done and cost paid. Pepsi even held a special gala sohour in the Baron palace to debut the ad. Furthermore a lot of people mocked the ad and it triggered a chain of jokes on the web.
Etisalat
You played the provocative string teasing Vodafone and countering its Genie campaign. You need to ask yourselves: when was the last time you have actually produced a buzzing campaign? That was long time ago and probably it was a one timer and never happened again. I think you need the three Rs 1- Rethink 2- Re-engineer 3- re-launch your advertising campaigns.
Because it is a fact the 90% of your clients (if not all) are your clients because they seek refuge from the unsatisfying service of Mobinil and Vodafone. But honestly the ad also hurt Vodafone’s image as they posted an unofficial underground ad in retaliation of the first one saying “get out your dirty side” and that is a new low in the advertising world in Egypt. But at the end I hold you responsible.
Vodafone
Nice ad but please improve your service first then connect people. Your broken calls are now a main factor of the daily stress people face throughout their day.
Vodafone
Mobinil
Etisalat
your ads don't make sense..we just need a good service … #i_support #مليونيه_مقاطعه_شركات_الاتصالات
— Mona Gh. Ibraheem (@MoNa_GhaReb) June 25, 2015
And again carefully pick your diction, after the scandal of “getting laid in the shade” Yossra screams out in the Holly month of Ramadan what it sounds like “where are we getting drunk?”!
https://twitter.com/TheeOutlawTorn/status/619663743820132352
MobiNile
Same old same consistency of social solidarity and acceptance…you depend on the jingle over and above! Every time every year! As if you are punishing us for liking the first one. Don’t change the creative concept but please find a new application for it.
El-Arabi Group
”Thank you for your trust”…that is such a lame tag line with zero creativity. I can’t deny you tried to create a buzzing jingle…good…but it turned out as a buzzing parody that actually succeeded more than you campaign.
Please next time give us some creativity, some concept, some anything!!! Or just produce a parody at the first place and save us the effort.
https://twitter.com/Yasmine_refaat/status/618964226300841984
تجربة وعدت وعدت وعدت وعدت وعدت وعدت وعدت وعدت
شكرا شكرا شكرا شكرا شكرا شكرا شكرا شكرا على ثقتك
Amr diab who ! 😂
— H (@iHeshoz) July 10, 2015
Mountain view
Try to find another avenger because the Hulk is used and abused. And I don’t think that Ramadan is the best time of the year for you to sell you properties. Because changing the mode from charity to luxury is a very effective trigger for humor and criticism.
https://twitter.com/b3boly/status/615293992662659073
طب واللي صحته مش مساعداه يتحول لهالك، وفلوسه مش مساعداه يروح ماونتين فيو يعمل ايه؟
— شعبان (@Ahmed21300) July 7, 2015
On the bright side some campaign delighted us.
As every self-respecting advertiser knows that insight is king, El-Aroosa tea was a true example of the power of insight. I personally find this a top notch example of how advertising should be. Speak the same cultural language of people and they will all connect. The insight of the campaign was so powerful that it melted all social parameters like culture, age, gender and class and everyone loved the campaign. El-Aroosa tea campaign team…enjoy your success.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91LHw5Zwbqg
Crunchy thank you for the cheerful ad we all just LOVED keep it up the ad was so creative and funny. However, I bet if there was a real “skinshizer” it would have been selling more than your product.
The article was conducted over a sample of tweets and is a mere projection of third party views being active on expressing their thoughts spontaneously without least interference of writer point of view or commercial affiliation.
Happy Ramadan everyone J
