A friend of mine in Lebanon just emailed this photograph of a Johnnie Walker billboard in Nahr El Mot, Lebanon. Advertisers are rarely this brave, but I think Johnnie Walker pulls off an amazing bit of visual communication here. Reminds me of what used to be called the “blitz spirit” in England during World War II. Anyway, my friend noted that it give him a smile every time he drives past it, and it certainly seems to have threaded the needle when it comes to a humorous, “on brand” statement, in an incredibly difficult situation.
I found it being discussed on another blog called BloggingBeirut and the commentary is somewhat polarized. What do you think?
Hmmm Adrants hates it
As does Adverb
Forget the bathtub; get me to a toilet. I think I feel queasy.
The Scotch blog provides a balanced view:
It’s also important to keep in mind that Lebanon has a substantial Catholic population and is not a wholly Muslim country as many people believe, so an ad for an alcoholic beverage is not beyond the pale.
I live in Lebanon, and I am one of the many who admired this ad on the highways…
There’s also another billboard with the picture of a car’s fuel below the “E” (empty).. and next to it “keep walking” which I found even funnier.. (since the country was out of fuel for a while)
People abroad might find those billboards offensive, but here its different. Just so you understand, the main occupation of Lebanese during this war was creating jokes about their situation, the Israelis, Hezbollah, the shiites…
This campaign received lots of praise.
Personally, I love it.
i just love it!!!
both.. the one with the fuel on E and this one!! they are pretty creative.. and even though they say johnny walker took advantage of the situation… well he did a good job good for him!!! hehehhe
the ad is not addressed only for catholics in lebanon, there are also muslims who drink alcohol (and catholics who don’t), and even if they don’t,they can appreciate the brilliance of the ad. Johnnie walker is not exploiting anything, he is just reflecting the lebanese way of life, We keep on walking. It’s only israel who is exploiting the kindaping of two soldiers to destroy Lebanon. But nobody can destroy the Lebanon, espacially not a 50 years old country.
Hey!
Could you email exactly what you and your blog are all about?
I’m launching a creative arts magazine oriented towards media critiques in the Middle East and find your insight quite interesting.
Let’s talk.
Natalie
oooh strike that
found ur email.
mwahahahahaha
Good day!,
I’m just starting here. And it feels like an awesome place.
I just wanted to give a nice “how’s it going” to all of you here.
-Carl