Mohamed Salah is currently the most expensive and biggest brand face in the Egyptian and may be the whole Middle East marketing scene right now, with brands from each category fighting to have him appear on their products or ads.
We’ve also recently seen what can happen when someone is so sought after, with rival telecom company, WE, trying to use the famous footballer on the national team plane while Salah was officially signed with Vodafone Egypt as brand ambassador.
Today, we find the “Egyptian King” in a new ad that doesn’t put him entirely in the best light.
Pepsi has been teasing a new ad with the football superstar since last month, with people excited to the see the Liverpool star once more.
https://www.facebook.com/PepsiArabia/videos/1869424896424288/
Exactly a month later, the teaser has had over 3.2 million views, with everyone awaiting the ad’s release.
Like many, we were excited to see another heartfelt love ad to the star, but Pepsi’s newest ad doesn’t give the Egyptian King justice as his appearance isn’t entirely there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WPYewRt1D8
Mohamed Salah starts off walking down old-styled Egyptian walkways, but soon it becomes clear that Salah isn’t really there.
Although the idea behind the ad was fun and vibrant, Salah’s obvious green screening takes away from the ad as well as the ad’s poor planning, with many already making fun it.
It seems that no one learned from last year’s famous “visit” by one of the world’s top football players, Cristiano Ronaldo, who also saw Egypt through the green screen.
Back to Back Campaigns; budget restrictions?
The battle is on as Ramadan and Egypt’s return to the World Cup come back to back in this year’s biggest 2 months. Brands have been scrambling, deciding whether to focus on the World Cup or on the MENA marketing superbowl that is Ramadan.
Pepsi is easily assumed as one of the main brands that will be able to reach their audiences on both occasions, as one of the biggest FMCG companies in the country and world. But this new video leads us to ask this question.
Did Pepsi try to save money on Salah’s expenses for a Ramadan and WC campaign?
Although Salah could simply be too busy training to take a flight home, Pepsi has the facilities and the reach to film in the UK or any other location required. Perhaps Pepsi is saving up for a bigger Ramadan or World Cup campaign.
Either way, Pepsi’s green screen blunder is a blow as fans quickly criticize the new ad.
