Creative ads | Diet Pepsi, can in bottle

Client: Pepsi Diet.
Creative Agency: BBDO Campaign, Dusseldorf.

MidEast ads | Home Center, just can’t wait

You just can’t wait till you start decorating your house with Home Center furniture, simply you can’t resist it. Interesting ads created by The Classic Partnership agency in Dubai for Home Center.

Qatar vs. Arabia

Arab-Arab relations went through lots of difficulties and conflicts that were developed to a complete hostility and even worse, war and occupation. Reviewing the Qatari-Arab relationship; relationship with Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Tunisia was cracked up due to what I call ridiculous reasons.

Chirping outside the flock.
Jordan has recalled its ambassador at Doha because Qatar didn’t vote for the Jordanian nominee for UN Secretary-General Position who received the support of all Arab countries and the League of Arab States except of Qatar. Jordanian government tried to back its position by claiming that Qatar is treating Jordanians in a very terrible way.

At the beginning I didn’t buy this but a friend of mine who works in Qatar told me that this is correct and it is not new; he told me that it is harder for a Jordanian to go to work in Qatar than other nationalities, he added that the way they treat us is so mean and shallow unlike others. But even though I believe that our government over reacted, you can simply treat Qatar the same way it treats Jordan.

Hosting a controversial TV station.
The Qatari-Saudi relation is not going smoothly because of the Doha-based TV station AlJazeera, and yet another devastating decision ending the Tunisian diplomatic representation in Qatar also caused by AlJazeera. Tunisia decided to recall its ambassador at Doha because AlJazeera has run an interview with a Tunisian antagonist who encouraged for a “Civil Disobedience” in Tunisia through the TV station.

I believe that governments should handle the media in a wiser way, countries response shouldn’t be driven by a TV program or an article in some newspaper. It is so ridiculous to end a diplomatic relationship with another country based on a TV program on a station based on that country. What if AlJazzera was based in USA, will Tunisia recall its ambassador in Washington?

Is Pepsi conspiring on Coca-Cola?

Ibrahim Dimson & Edmund Duhaney, two men accused for conspiring with a secretary in the marketing department at Coca-Cola Co. Joya Williams, former administrative executive assistant to a Coca-Cola global brand manager, to steal and sell Coke trade secrets to PepsiCo. Both men will face up to 10 years in prison and a fine up to $250,000.

The case started last July when Pepsi informed Coca-Cola about the scheme to sell the secrets for $1.5 million. A box contains two Coca-Cola product prototypes and company documents were found in the house of one of the two men.

This is a little bit strange, I’m not assuming anything but what makes an insider in Coca-Cola to actually giveaway some secret documents to two outsiders who are willing to sell to the very direct competitor without any pre-communications with Pepsi? Again I’m not assuming anything but it is weird.

Pepsi is known for its aggressive advertising strategy, I believe they are one of the top advertisers in the globe plus they are the biggest spender in the Middle East, but on the other hand Coca-Cola is one of the most precious brands worldwide. Personally I don’t like Pepsi ads where they include Coke Cans or employees; in a TV commercial a boy stands on 2 Coca-Cola Cans to be able to reach the Pepsi button on the machine to buy it, in another one they show a Coca-Cola employee who prefers Pepsi over Coca-Cola. I don’t know if Coca-Cola did the same, but personally I don’t like it this way of advertising.

To drop your pen in some girl’s shirt

With a big smile on his face the former Spanish Prime Minster Jose Maria Aznar dropped his pen in the shirt of a female reporter that approached him to sign a book of the former Columbian president. The report asked Aznar about the Basque National Liberation Movement and it seems that he didn’t like it, so instead of answering her he dropped his pen in her chest with a big smile on his face, naughty boy!

Religious Symbols, a growing controversy

Yet another controversial issue feeding the clash of civilizations; religious symbols are becoming a reason of conflict each day. The debate over religious identity is moving from one country to the other leading to more struggle.

A Christian employee is suing British Airways for Religious Discrimination, the lady was punished because she was wearing a cross during work. This is a little bit weird, being punished for a religious believe in a country that espouses that same religion! Islamic Hijab and Sikh’s Turban are allowed during work at British Airways, according to the company Hijabs and Turbans can’t be hidden under cloths that’s why it is allowed.

In Tunisia, which is an Islamic country, Islamic Hijab is banned in the country since the 90’s, women are forced sometimes to remove it in public, and even now a new governmental campaign against it. Yet another Islamic country is somehow resisting the Hijab which Turkey, as far as I know it is banned in universities. In Jordan some employers refuse to hire girls wearing Hijabs, I know a girl who has been refused more than once and sometimes she was told it is because the Hijab.

France which banned all religious symbols in all schools before seems to be a little bit practical now; Saudi female students at medical colleges in France are allowed to wear surgical hats instead of Hijabs. In a public vote in the Netherlands, 58% of Dutch demanded banning Hijabs during daily work. The scene in Canada is a little bit different, a new decision that allows girls to wear Hijabs in schools as it is allowed in public.

Back to England, a Muslin girl won a case against a school that bounced her for wearing Hijabs & Jilbabs instead of the uniform. Yet another controversial issue is the Niqab, which covers women’s face, a school teacher has been banned of going to work because she wears Niqab during teaching children, and even a British minster suggested that should be fired.

As far as I know, Islam demanded women to cover their entire body EXCEPT of the face and hands, and I believe Niqab is extreme, it is crystal clear in the Holy Quran and Prophets Talk that women should cover the entire body except the face and hands.