It’s only the third day of Ramadan and controversy has already started. We can all agree that this year, Ramadan’s adverts are way ahead of last year’s, but it seems that there will always be adverts that start controversy.
We noticed that last year’s brands that messed up, avoided their previous mistakes and played it safe, but another brand wasn’t cautious enough.
Today we’re talking about Memaar Al-Mosrshedy’s Advert and the artists in it. One of those artists triggered people’s anger and they poured it all on social media. You probably guessed the artist right; it’s the singer Meryam Faris
Meryam Fairs and Asser Yassin Sing Together
On the first day of Ramadan, we have seen the very first collaboration between the actor Asser Yassin and the singer Meryam Faris.
This is not just the first collaboration; it’s actually the first appearance for Meryam on the Egyptian screen since 2019. The new advert is promoting Memaar Al-Morshedy’s Zahra, North Coast through a song by Meryam Faris and Asser Yassin called ‘Good Vibes’ or ‘Hala Helwa’
We can frankly say that the advert overall is fun, the song is catchy, and the scenery is breathtaking. Since Asser Yassin is loved by many people, he added a special flavor to the advert; this was obvious when some people expressed their admiration for his appearance.
People only loved Asser Yassin’s appearance, but when Meryam Faris appeared, some people –including celebrities- got furious.
The Reason for The Backlash
People loved the advert, they just didn’t love Meryam Faris being in it.
Back in 2019, Faris had made a strange statement when she was at a conference. When someone asked her about not having concerts in Egypt, she said that she became too much for Egyptians as her high wage can’t be afforded by Egypt nor Egyptians.
It was the moment when all Egyptians started criticizing her and expressed their anger towards what she said. Her words caused a major backfire.
Later, she posted on her Instagram account a written apology trying to explain that it’s a misunderstanding and that she can never be too much for Egypt.
People Expressing Two Different Opinions
Even though, she apologized, some people didn’t forgive her.
As we mentioned previously, people expressed their anger on many social media platforms. Most of them agreed on one thing, “Why is she back?”
Most people commented asking why she’s here making adverts since she previously stated she’s too much for Egypt.
ميريام فارس اللي بقالها أكتر من 10 سنين مبتغنيش باللهجة المصرية ولما سألوها ليه قالتلهم أصل السوق في مصر مش شغال كويس والحفلات والأغاني اللي باللهجة المصرية مش بتجيب فلوس
دلوقتي عامله إعلان باللهجة المصرية عشان الفلوس طبعا
— Amory (@Amrooo90) April 14, 2021
مضايقة من وجود ميريام فارس في إعلان عاملاه في مصر وهي قبل كدة اتكلمت عنها وحش عشان انا جوايا حتة وطنية بغير على بلدي 😔
— خلود (@KholoudEsmail77) April 15, 2021
https://twitter.com/JomanahMostafa1/status/1382480602356649988
While there were angry comments, there were nice ones. Some people actually said that Egypt misses her and they were welcoming her back to Egypt.
هو مافيش اجمد من إعلان اسر ياسين و ميريام فارس و اللي جمعهم مع بعض حقيقي جامد
— REEM (@Reemayman2) April 15, 2021
https://twitter.com/myriam_tweets/status/1382752841312444417
Meanwhile, Faris ignored all the attacking comments and expressed her joy and happiness to be part of the advert and to be in Egypt again.
Could This Harm The Brand
Having someone who said their wage is too high for Egypt in an Egyptian advert, could hard the brand?
While people didn’t like Meryam’s being back in Egypt, some people blamed the brand itself. Some people expressed their opinions that the one to blame is the brand since it is the one that brought her back.
If the brand had chosen someone else, the advert was probably going to be loved by the majority of people but choosing someone who thinks they’re too much for Egyptians was a wrong choice. As a brand, you want to gain people’s admiration and grab their attention; the brand succeeded in doing that in the first part of the advert but then it all turned upside down.
When you pick someone to represent your campaign, pick someone who’s loved.
To conclude this, share with us your opinion, were you bothered by Meryam Faris’s appearance? And do you think this could affect the brand?
